Ilídio Brito

Traditional Woodworking
At 16, in a single day, he made 16 chair legs with only three tools, while the house professionals made two in the same period. Chairs were always Ilídio Brito's true passion.

He started working very early with his father, a chair maker in Rebordosa: he was still in school and already helping with the trade. He always worked with him until his passing, and around 1982, he had to leave that workshop to start working alone in a small shack. He recounts that when he was young, he once carried two chairs on his back along with his sister, who was a carrier.

The Valbom incident remained etched in his memory. He was sent to a client of his father’s to make the legs for the “Quinana” chair because the local employees did not know how to execute them; upon arrival, the owner was surprised to see a young man doing that work. It was a very elaborate chair, with a striking detail: its shoe-shaped feet. He also made other pieces of furniture, but what he truly loved was making chairs. He worked extensively with cane and continued to practice the activity even after retiring. Even today, he occasionally performs a restoration or two.

Mon. to Friday 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM | 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM | 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM

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