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Portuguese azulejo tiles cover the floor, and there’s an upstairs cocktail bar.

Although quieter in the wake of COVID-19, without groups of visitors peeking in at the process, the country’s azulejo workshops continue to reproduce classics and devise new patterns, both for local and international admirers.

While tiles in Porto and the north display a preference for relief, the multitude of azulejo patterns throughout the country hasn’t muted a strong storytelling dimension or a love for customized panels.

At the helm of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo in Lisbon, Maria Antónia Pinto de Matos cringes every time she has to translate the word azulejo.

“Tile” says nothing of the azulejo’s artistry, detail, and continuous evolution in both technique and aesthetic; nor can it convey how azulejos are as much about light and reflection as patterns or colors.