Nathalie Küpfer Henares is passionate about home, travel, and design—all three of which are married into the ethos of her brand, Portoro
For Nathalie Küpfer Henares, design often involves a healthy dose of sentimentality. Known for her luxurious brand, Portoro, Küpfer Henares specialises in designing wares for the home—the one place we often look to for comfort and nostalgia. "This quality over quantity mindset of mine revolves around how each object tells a story that is unique to yourself or to your family," she shares. "[In fact], the pieces I cherish the most were given by my parents and my French grandmother."
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In her own home—which she shares with husband Atom Henares—Küpfer Henares waxes poetic about her favourite piece of décor. "It’s a mortar and plaster sculpture by Roger Desserprit from the 70s," she reveals. "[It] calls to mind an embrace. It’s a unique piece: imposing and grand, yet one overlaid with protectiveness thanks to the intimacy of the embrace."
Listening to her describe the Desserprit piece reminds me that it is exactly her artistic eye and tender heart that make Küpfer Henares perfect for her role as a designer. "A designer’s true strength lies in the ability to constantly have an eye out for new inspirations," she shares. "There is beauty everywhere, but you need to be able to see it from certain perspectives to appreciate it."
Like most artists, Küpfer Henares finds inspiration in her many travels. With her multi-cultural background, this comes as no surprise. But with the current pandemic and lockdown restrictions, she has reverted to using precious memories as her muse. Portoro's upcoming Provence Collection, is in fact, reminiscent of some of her favourite childhood memories. "[The Provence Collection] is in Veri Peri – the shade of periwinkle that is Pantone’s Colour of the Year! But the colour has a personal hold on me: the beautiful soft lilac shade reminds me of the lavender fields I would run through when I spent time in Provence during my childhood."
But it's not just in her collections that Küpfer Henares' affinity for culture comes as an advantage. Her history of living around Asia and Europe—everywhere from Shanghai to Hamburg to Manila—has refined her taste and understanding of elegant craftsmanship. She often travels to Italy and Paris to meet with artisans there, and her multi-lingual abilities have made her a trustworthy partner for both craftsmen and clients here and abroad.
