POÉMIA is a Portuguese brand created in 2024 to fulfill a personal project of Ricardo Costa, an artist, son and grandson of naval carpenters, for whom wood has been a lifelong passion. Driven by the desire to honor the versatility of wood and its capacity to acquire new shapes without ever losing its character, Costa embarked on an intense journey of experimentation and research, which led to the development of a personal technique that pushes wood to the limit without breaking, placing it under tension, creating organic and flowing forms that convey movement.
The result is a range of decorative lamps with an engaging, modern and minimalist design; true light sculptures, created to be enjoyed, celebrating the transformation of wood into something even more special. Defined by Costa as ‘living pieces’, each creation produces the illusion of metamorphosis, as their shapes appear to change as we move around them. The pieces also honor the essence of wood while celebrating its transformation into something even more special – a light that tells stories and fills every corner with warmth.
“Wood is much more than a raw material. It is life, it is light and warmth. Above all, it is the medium through which I fully express my creativity in a symbiosis between man and nature. The smell of fresh wood reminds me that each piece tells a story, reconnecting me with my heritage and the joy of craftsmanship,” said Ricardo Costa, Founder and Artist, POÉMIA. “Each piece is the result of an intense artistic process where we design and craft unique wooden lamps using an ancestral molding technique, bringing light to your space.”
POÉMIA was a project born from a deep passion and a keen interest in wood and its boundless creative potentials. As a son and grandson of carpenters, Costa grew up surrounded by this primal material, understood it in its purest state, within nature, and is deeply aware of the infinite possibilities wood offers when skillfully shaped. After years of technical and artistic exploration in the field of pastry-making, where he learnt the vital importance of precision and attention to detail in crafting his creations, Costa eventually found his way back to his roots, to the workshop where this passion was first ignited.
“In a moment of exploration, I realized that what most fascinated me was the potential to push wood to its limits without breaking, and this material’s remarkable ability to adapt and assume new forms. Thus, a project was born from the desire to honor and respect wood, celebrating its capacity to transform into something more beautiful, even when subjected to strain and tension. These pieces, with their light and flowing lines, preserve the memory of the wood, while also celebrating its transformation into something even more beautiful,” added Costa.
At the center of POÉMIA’s practice is the exploration of bent wood. Utilizing a proprietary technique, Costa pushes the material to remarkable levels of curvature and stress, holding it in a state of suspended energy. Inspired by the river and the beach ambience that surrounds the studio, POÉMIA has launched its first collection – AURORA – which means ‘first light’. The AURORA collection features four different lamps with unique and timeless lines, offering exclusive pieces with an added touch of creativity, innovation and beauty.
These pieces were designed with the ocean’s waves and shapes in mind, capturing the essence of the sea. Featuring light, flowing lines that whisper stories, each piece evokes the poetry of the sea and the promise of new beginnings, bringing serenity to any space. When illuminated, an intimate relationship between the light source and the wooden surface is activated. The light washes softly over the exposed natural grain, highlighting the unique textures, tones, and variations within each individual piece of timber.
According to Costa, their organic fluidity evokes the movement of waves and the memory of the sea, creating a poetic connection between matter, light, and space. The smooth, tensioned curves invite the hand, grounding the visual experience in physical reality. For Costa, living with a POÉMIA piece is an ongoing, daily engagement with light, shadow, and materiality.
