For quiet minds and busy hands.

A different kind of break, guided by local artists.

Slow down. Make something real. Take the clarity with you.

Upcoming

Back to Grandma's - Christmas Starts Here

An afternoon with your grandmother

(even if she's not actually yours)

November 21, 2026 . 14:00 - 18:00 . Lisbon

with A Avó Veio Trabalhar

Too early for Christmas?

Not at Grandma’s.

Hosted by our Portuguese grandmothers:

Bring an old jumper and make it Christmassy
Slow down before the Christmas rush begins
Be spoiled with grandma-made Christmas treats, stories and grandma wisdom

Start the season at Grandma’s pace.

What this afternoon will look like:

A warm grandma welcome at the door
A Christmas upcycling workshop to give your old jumper a new life
Grandma-made Christmas treats
Time to make, chat and ease into the season

Christmas starts here. At Grandma’s.

Reservations aren’t open just yet.

Join the interest list and be the first to know when Grandma opens the doors.

Know more about the event

Previous Breaks

The Manual Break: weekend pilot edition

March 20-22 2026

Retiro do Bosque, Minde | Portugal

A full weekend centred on tangible arts, nature and connection with a like-minded small community who believed in this idea from the very beginning .

A pause from always-on into hands-on mode, guided by Portuguese artists who invited us into their rhythm.

The weekend included two hands-on workshops, curated by our friends at Portugal Manual and led by Portuguese artists who carry tradition into the present:

Portuguese traditional tapestry (arraiolos) with Susana Cereja
Monotype Screen Printing with Rita Daniel, from FICA Oficina Criativa

Outside the workshops, time was intentionally open to explore other creative corners (sponsored by Viarco), go for a walk or simply rest and enjoy the surroundings.

Every object and every message was placed with intention to shape the experience as a whole.

Future event being planned for different locations.

What people say

"The Manual Break was such a great reset from a busy, screen filled life. It was so refreshing to work with my hands while having real life conversations with new, like minded friends. I came home different - not in a dramatic way.

Just quieter, cleaner somehow."

Alison

"I had such a beautiful time at The Manual Break.

It was the perfect opportunity to unplug, slow down, and reconnect with creativity in such a gentle, guided way.

The group size felt just right, and the organizers created such an easy, welcoming atmosphere.

I’d recommend it to anyone looking to rest their mind and make something with their hands again."

Hanli

"The tranquility of nature combined with the creative activities

really allowed me to enjoy the present moment and "get out of my head" for once.

The personal touches sprinkled throughout the weekend

also made this a truly special experience!"

Tara

"This manual break turned my focus from result-driven thinking to creative processes. This matters a lot to employees at all kinds of big and medium size companies because we start looking at everything like a problem that needs to be solved or like a series of deadlines and KPIs that need to be met.

Your Manual Break pulled me out of that routine programmatic perspective and that's what made it a special time."

Michael

Trusted by people at:

From speed to stillness

We’ve mastered speed and efficiency.
But in the race to perform, we’ve lost the slower rhythms that make us human.

The Manual Break is where that shifts:
a small circle ready to step away from the noise, slow down and rediscover the focus that comes from making with your hands.

This is part of a series of real-world experiments around wellbeing, creativity and slowing down in a high-performance world.

Bring a friend walking the same path, craving the same pause.

Not a retreat, but it may feel like one.

Who's behind it

We’re Sal and Tiago, two Portuguese professionals who spent over a decade in Dublin’s big tech.

We know what it is like: the constant demand to deliver more, faster.

And we also know the cost: creative energy slipping away, identity blurred by the rush, the quiet feeling that something essential is missing.

The Manual Break is our answer to that.