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    Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn turn 17th-century convent into Lisbon hotel

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    Design studios Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn have combined historic features and contemporary touches for the Locke de Santa Joana hotel on the site of a convent in Lisbon, Portugal.

    A 17th-century convent building has been renovated and integrated alongside newly constructed additions to form part of the hotel.
    The Locke de Santa Joana hotel occupies a 17th-century convent in LisbonAmerican studio Post Company designed the interiors of the rooms, while Barcelona-based Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the hotel’s public spaces.
    Locke de Santa Joana is the latest and biggest property from Locke Hotels – set across nine floors, it contains 370 units comprised of hotel rooms, apartments and suites, as well as a range of public spaces.
    The studios refined and highlighted existing architectural details”The hotel was originally a convent built in the 1600s – in designing the rooms, we wanted to marry this rich history with the contemporary culture of Lisbon,” Post Company partner Jou-Yie Chou told Dezeen.

    While the rooms’ interiors are largely clean and minimal, Post Company refined and highlighted architectural features including archways, pillars and mouldings.
    “We wanted to create a dialogue between the rooms’ architectural ‘bones’ and their interiors,” said Chou.
    Contemporary furniture and lighting elements were added to the roomsThese historic details were complemented with modern furniture, lighting fixtures and decorative elements added in natural tones.
    “Chairs in the kitchens and living spaces have a clear foundation in pews or church furniture, but still read as modern,” said Chou.

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    “Mohair and boucle upholstered furniture in sinuous shapes lend geometric friction, while clean, minimal millwork is softened by over-stuffed textiles,” Chou continued.
    Fabrics, ceramics and stone finishes were sourced from the surrounding area, including rugs and textiles from local makers, as well as a Portuguese stone, Rose Aurora, for the washbasins and a local limestone for the bathroom floors.
    Glass and wood partitions were used to divide spaces within suite-style roomsEach suite-style room has its own living area and burnt orange kitchenette alongside a bedroom, which was divided using a glass and wood partition screen.
    “Glass and wood partitions provide design interest and functionality all at once,” said Chou.
    “They offer both privacy and room definition, creating a residential feel while still allowing light to permeate the room.”
    Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the public spaces including a cafePublic spaces within the hotel include restaurants, cafes, bars, a co-working and meeting space, as well as a gallery to display pieces found during the renovation of the convent.
    There is also a courtyard pool at the centre of the hotel, framed by dark wooden decking.
    Terracotta pots and mosaic tiles were incorporated throughout the hotel’s interiorLázaro Rosa-Violàn continued the natural, rustic colour palette of terracotta, yellows, greens and blues used in the rooms for the shared spaces.
    “We tried to evoke warm, contemporary spaces while still taking inspiration from the colour tones of the existing architectural elements,” studio founder Lázaro Rosa-Violàn told Dezeen.
    Blue and white mosaic tiles were intended to reference the hotel’s location in PortugalCeramics feature heavily throughout the hotel, with large plant-filled terracotta pots and mosaic tiles traditionally associated with Lisbon lining the walls and tabletops.
    “When talking about Lisbon, the first thing that comes to mind is the distinctive tiles adorning the city’s buildings,” said Rosa-Violàn.
    “We’ve incorporated this element in a modern and contemporary way, combining them with rich textures, patterns, natural materials and colourful fabrics, accentuating the historical architecture.”
    Since its first location opened in 2016, Locke has expanded to include 17 sites across the UK and mainland Europe.
    Other Locke Hotels recently featured on Dezeen include Locke am Platz in Zurich and Locke at East Side Gallery in Berlin.
    The photography is courtesy of Locke Hotels.

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      Alarquitectos lines Lisbon apartment with colour-blocked walls and pine wood

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      Portuguese studio Alarquitectos has used walls of pink and blue to brighten São Sebastião 123, an apartment converted from a 20th-century office in Lisbon.

      Tasked with revitalising the old workspace’s dark and poorly ventilated interiors, Alarquitectos opened it up by removing the existing partitions and adding a courtyard.
      Along with an existing outdoor space that has been reorganised, this courtyard doubles as a lightwell for the 167-metre-square apartment.
      Walls of pink and blue decorate the São Sebastião 123 apartmentSão Sebastião 123 is organised with a series of “fluid” living spaces at its front and more private spaces, including the bedrooms, at the rear.
      Narrow corridors brightened by the colour-blocked walls lead into the airy, open-plan living area that is illuminated by a window and full-height opening connected to a slim balcony.

      In the living area, a shelving unit runs the length of the room and is paired with pine flooring and grey-toned furnishings.
      A sliding door connects the living space to the kitchenA sliding door leads from the living space into a kitchen “box”, which is enclosed on both sides by deep-blue cabinets topped with metal counters, and complemented by terrazzo flooring.
      Bronze detailing is used for lighting fixtures, mirrors and door knobs throughout the home.
      The kitchen features deep-blue cabinets and terrazzo flooring”We envisioned the kitchen as a vibrant focal point, hence the striking colour of the kitchen box,” studio co-founder Mafalda Ambrósio told Dezeen.
      “We sought cool colours that contrast with the warm tones of the pine wood,” she continued.
      “This colour palette was inspired by the aggregates in the kitchen terrazzo, resulting in a deep blue with green pigments and a light pink.”
      There is a dining room with an oak table and three pendant lightsAdjacent to the kitchen is a dining area with an oak dining table and three pendant lights. Further counter space and shelving are provided along one side.
      To the back of the dining area, a full-height door opens up to the new enclosed courtyard, which is lined with ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring and decorated with black-steel furniture and leafy plants.

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      A glazed opening onto the courtyard draws light into a bedroom, while a smaller circular opening illuminates the adjacent corridor – operating as a “physical bridge between the interior and exterior”.
      “We extended our focus to the exterior space, not merely as a source of natural light and ventilation but also as an extension of the living experience,” Ambrósio said. “The materials for the patios were meticulously chosen to create a sense of refinement and tranquillity.”
      Ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring features in the courtyardSão Sebastião 123 is complete with two small workspaces beside the living area and a shared bathroom lined with ceramic tiles and terrazzo flooring matching the external courtyard.
      Other recent projects defined by colourful interiors include a playful seaside hotel that uses colour blocking to distinguish different areas and a residential conversion with jagged walls that reference a lightning bolt.
      The photography is by Do mal o menos.

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      Studio Gameiro draws on hues of Caparica cliffs for Arriba apartment

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      Studio Gameiro has designed the interior of the Arriba apartment in the coastal town of Caparica, Portugal, using local stone and drawing on wooden fishing huts for inspiration.

      The fit-out of the two-bedroom apartment, located inside a building from the 1980s, was designed to reference the coastal area of Caparica.
      The interior of the Arriba apartment is decorated in sandy colours”The interior colour palette and texture was inspired by the beautiful coastline of Caparica, a unique fossil-rock formation along the coast with sandy and terracotta hues,” studio founder Joāo Gameiro told Dezeen.
      “This natural and protected area south of Lisbon has a particular and playful way of changing with light, and it is also almost poetically embedded in our childhood memories of long summer holidays, as it was the first seaside area close to the big city.”
      Studio Gameiro wanted the interior to reference its surroundingsThe sandy hues of the Caparica cliffs influenced the colour palette of the apartment, which is filled with beige and tan hues and named Arriba for the Portuguese word for cliff.

      Studio Gameiro also referenced the 70-square-metre apartment’s surroundings through its choice of materials, designing wooden kitchen cabinets in a nod to local fishing boats.
      The two-bedroom apartment has an open-plan kitchen”The use of wood for the low kitchen cabinets relates to the [area’s] fishing huts, which are characterised by vertical or horizontal lines of wooden planks,” Gameiro said.
      “The texture found in the upper cabinets also finds inspiration in the same source, resembling the straw utilized in the construction of these huts.”

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      As with its interior scheme for the Austa restaurant in Almancil, the practice designed much of the furniture for the apartment, which it made from wood.
      “Following the same input as in other Studio Gameiro projects, we always tend to design bespoke furniture as an extension of the ability to manipulate textures and materials and celebrate the craftsmanship we are very fortunate to work with,” Gameiro explained.
      “The use of Kambala wood was important, as a reference to the durable wood used at the fabrication of the fishing boats, for example.”
      Lioz marble was used for the sinkIn the kitchen, the studio added an L-shaped kitchen counter made from marble.
      “We used Lioz marble, a type of stone extracted locally that has been used in kitchen counters for centuries due to its hard and extremely resistant surface,” Gameiro said. “We also loved how it resonated with the sandy and terracotta hues of the hills nearby.”
      The apartment features an unusual bathroom, organised around a shower base that was designed to have an organic shape reminiscent of “shapes found on the beach”, the studio said.
      The bathroom has an organically shaped showerIt was made from Moleanos stone – a type of Portuguese limestone set with the remains of sea shells – and was inspired by the coastal erosion that has affected the area.
      “As in most of these coastal formations, it has previously suffered from erosion, which in this case was eventually stopped by the pro-active planting of the Caparica pine forest,” Gameiro said.
      “This is now considered a natural protected area and what is left is a coastal outline of ins and outs to and from the beach, which inspired the organic shape of the shower wall.”
      Custom-made wooden furniture decorates the flatIn the study, the studio added a bespoke desk and wooden shelving, while the bedroom has a custom-made make-up desk and a bespoke wooden bed.
      Other recent Portuguese interior design projects featured on Dezeen include a Lisbon home by Fala Atelier and a boutique hotel by designer Christian Louboutin.
      The photography is by Tiago Casanova.

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      Fala Atelier designs Lisbon home with “very Portuguese” materials

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      Architecture studio Fala Atelier decked out the angular spaces of the 087 house in Lisbon with oversized spots and stripes, which also feature on its bold marble facade.

      Designed by Porto-based studio Fala Atelier, 087 is a three-storey home in the Portuguese capital with a rectilinear facade decorated with chunky marble shapes.
      The 087 house features a facade decorated with chunky marble shapesThe studio, known for its playful use of geometry, created custom carpentry from locally sourced materials to accommodate the home’s curved and staggered walls and the sloping ceilings within the building.
      A garden-facing kitchen on the ground floor includes terrazzo flooring and stepped timber cabinetry decorated with bold black and white stripes and topped with marble slabs.
      A funnel-shaped extractor fan adds an eclectic touchUnusual features such as a funnel-shaped, teal-hued extractor fan add an eclectic touch. This Fala Atelier-designed piece can also be found in a windowless garage in Lisbon that the studio converted for a couple.

      “There are no elegant extractors on the market,” Fala Atelier partner Filipe Magalhães told Dezeen.
      “All of them look like nasty appliances. With the kitchen in the way of the window, we knew we would have to integrate the fan. Since we couldn’t make it disappear, we celebrated the piece,” he added.
      The open-plan kitchen is connected to the living spaceThe open-plan kitchen connects to the living area, which is characterised by pinewood flooring dotted with geometric walnut accents.
      “The colours of the stripes and the dots on the floor really try to be noble,” said Magalhães.
      Bespoke Fala Atelier-designed doors and window frames match the kitchen cabinetsThe space also features doors designed by the studio and caramel-coloured Ligne Roset Togo sofas – a quilted and low-slung design classic created by Michel Ducaroy in 1973.
      This seating was positioned next to a boxy fireplace clad with gleaming white ceramic tiles and a squat display plinth finished in veiny black marble.
      Custom cabinetry also features on the upper floors”We tried to diversify the material palette as much as possible while still making it quite banal,” explained Magalhães.
      “The choices are very Portuguese, but the mixture aims at being more than just that,” added the architect.
      Board-formed concrete ceilings were included throughoutUpstairs, the same bespoke cabinetry as in the kitchen was used to form larger cupboards across the curved and angular private spaces of the two upper floors.
      Board-formed concrete ceilings, which also feature downstairs, were paired with oversized rounded mirrors in the bathrooms and a mixture of timber and marble flooring.

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      The garden-facing facade follows the same geometry as its street-facing component, also featuring circular and rectilinear decorative shapes.
      “This house is a lot about the relationship with the garden,” said Magalhães, noting the floor-to-ceiling glazing that connects the indoor and outdoor spaces.
      087 focuses on “the relationship with the garden”Fala Atelier has designed several homes in a similar style, including six micro-houses in Porto with geometric forms and concrete finishes and another Porto property topped with a striped concrete roof.
      The photography is by Francisco Ascensao and Giulietta Margot.

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      The Rebello Hotel occupies former factory along Porto’s riverside

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      This hotel by architecture studio Metro Urbe occupies a series of former industrial buildings on the banks of the River Douro in Porto, Portugal, and features interiors by Quiet Studios.

      The Rebello Hotel is spread across several 19th-century buildings, which have been overhauled and adapted with new additions by Metro Urbe, in Vila Nova de Gaia – across the river from the city proper.
      At The Rebello Hotel, nods to the site’s industrial past and Porto’s nautical history can be found in artworks and decor choicesOperated by Bomporto Hotels, which has two properties in Lisbon, the new addition to its portfolio was designed with a local approach and to take full advantage of its prime riverside location.
      The Rebello is named after Porto’s famous rabelos – wooden boats that used to transport barrels of port wine down the river – and located beside the city’s only remaining boatyard.
      The lobby bar and cafe was designed for digital nomads to work and relaxThe collection of buildings was once a kitchen utensil factory and had been unoccupied for some time before work began to reconfigure the site.

      The team restored two long buildings that face onto the river, preserving their historic stone facades, and constructed two new volumes in the centre of the site that incorporate smaller original structures and resolve the sloping topography.
      A variety of soft seating options enliven the industrial-style interiors of the hotel’s communal spacesPresented with a blank canvas, Spanish interior designer Daniela Franceschini – founder of Lisbon-based Quiet Studios – worked with local artists and creatives to transform the industrial spaces into warm and comfortable guest facilities.
      Using vintage and contemporary objects, she based the interiors around four key elements: water, wine, wood and industry.
      Bedrooms are bright and neutral, with splashes of colour introduced through contemporary furniture”There’s a nautical feel to the colours, materials and textures,” said Franceschini. “That also comes through in the lighting, which is suggestive of floating and sailboats, and in the lamps with chains, the wooden shelves by Tomaz Viana, the ceramic nets by Fig Studio and the undulating mirrors that evoke the movement of the sea.”
      Above the retro-style reception counter, fronted by a metal lattice, is an artwork crafted using reclaimed materials from the rabelos, which was designed by Studio Ther in collaboration with a local artisan.
      Guest room types vary from studios to three-bedroom penthouse apartmentsThe lobby lounge and bar was designed for digital nomads to work or relax on a variety of comfortable soft seats, within a bright space that features polished concrete floors and exposed ceiling ductwork.
      As a nod to the site’s history, the ground-floor Pot&Pan restaurant serves family-style dishes in large pots and pans within a space decorated with dark-toned walls and plants to create a casual atmosphere.

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      There’s also a cafe and store selling local produce and crafts, and meeting rooms that can be hired separately or combined for private events.
      The Rebello Hotel’s 103 guest rooms and apartments are split into 11 different types, ranging from studios to three-bedroom penthouses that span 37 to 195 square metres.
      The hotel’s spa is modelled on ancient Roman bathsThe interiors of its light-filled suites have been decorated with walnut, steel, concrete and tiles, along with contemporary furniture that introduces splashes of bright colour to the otherwise neutral palette.
      The bedrooms also include “tailor-made pieces influenced by nautical and industrial design, such as the sinks inspired by old water tanks and the organically styled bed headboards that resemble the rippling waters of the Douro”, according to the design team.
      The fourth-floor rooftop bar offers views across the Douro River to the Porto skylineThe Rebello Hotel guests can enjoy a spa, modelled on ancient Roman baths and encompassing a heated pool, sauna, fitness centre and treatment rooms.
      Finally, the Rooftop Bello bar on the fourth floor offers a spot for al fresco cocktails overlooking the river, with a view of the city’s terracotta-tiled skyline beyond.
      The riverside site, a former kitchen utensil factory, was converted and extended by architects Metro UrbeOther interior design projects in Porto include a rustic restaurant interior designed by Space Copenhagen, which features a ceramic mural by Álvaro Siza, and a sushi bar by Paulo Merlini where 8,000 wooden chopsticks hang above diners.
      The photography is by Francisco Nogueira.

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      Studio Gameiro draws on Algarve’s craftsmanship for Austa restaurant interior

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      A bench made from ancient rock salt, a carved stone bar and custom-made aluminium furniture were used by Studio Gameiro for the interior of Portuguese restaurant Austa.

      Located in the town of Almancil, Portugal, the studio drew on the craftsmanship of the surrounding Algarve region when designing the interior of the Austa restaurant and coffee shop, which also has a shoppable pantry.
      Studio Gameiro designed the interior of Austa”The inspiration behind the design of Austa was a fascinating journey rooted in the rich heritage and craftsmanship of a much underrated – and still unknown – area in the Algarve region of Portugal,” studio founder João Gameiro told Dezeen.
      “It has an extraordinary tradition in expertly crafted objects, from ceramics to weaving, iron and copper works, and even salt extraction, which ended up playing an absolute central role in the project.”
      A sofa made from rock salt is among the custom-designed furnitureStudio Gameiro used tactile materials for the restaurant, cladding its walls in soft lime stucco in earthy beige and tan hues.

      Much of the furniture was custom-built, including a four-metre-long bench and a collection of bespoke plinths made out of locally mined rock salt.
      “We learnt that right underneath our feet, in Loulé, there was a rock salt mine, 230 metres deep into the Earth, with 230-million-years-old salt,” Gameiro said.
      More than 200 salt blocks make up the bench”We had to do something with this incredible material and convinced the Loulé mine to collaborate with us to transform some of their leftover pieces into building blocks, and then ‘puzzling’ them out to form a completely original object,” he continued.
      “These blocks were carved in the same dimensions of the terracotta tiles used in several complementary projects, and arranged in a specific manner, extending the formal reference of the geometry patterns found in the local terracotta kilns.”
      Customers can shop the pantry section of AustaThe resulting bench was constructed from 230 geometric blocks made from the rock salt, which Gameiro said are “almost as strong as stone”.
      “In essence, the Austa project not only carries a story of design and craftsmanship but also embraces the strength and endurance of materials deeply rooted in the Algarve’s geological history,” Gameiro said. “Digging down to showcase something unique out in the open.”
      Aluminium chairs were made for the restaurantAusta’s founders Emma and David Campus and Studio Gameiro also worked with local artisans to create custom-made furniture for the store. This includes wooden stools informed by Portuguese cafe chairs, as well as locally made aluminium chairs.
      Stone was used for the main bar in the restaurant in another reference to the history of the Algarve.

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      “The central bar showcases intricately carved moleanos stone blocks, a nod to the region’s mining heritage, complementing the light hues of the space,” Gameiro said.
      “Bespoke designed fixed equipment, including bathroom sinks, echoes the dimensions of terracotta tiles, paying tribute to the sea’s colours and textures.”
      Copper light pendants decorate the spaceCopper and other metals were chosen for decorative and practical accessories.
      “Our research on local craftsmanship led us to incorporate copper, gold and silver, echoing techniques dating back to the Roman and Arab periods,” Gameiro said.
      “Inspired by the art of making copper saucepans (still amply used nowadays), a nine-piece series of copper light pendants was designed to create a moody light feature, celebrating heritage, memory, and expertise, and the serendipity of all involved.”
      The bar was made from carved moleanos stone blocksAusta and Studio Gameiro will also release a limited collection of the furniture designed for the restaurant that will be available for purchase, making it a shoppable interior.
      Other notable interior projects in Portugal include an Algarve boutique hotel with vintage furnishings and a home with an interior that was informed by theatre spaces.

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      Bacana Studio designs “amphibious” interiors for riverfront restaurant in Lisbon

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      Lisbon interior design practice Bacana Studio took cues from Portugal’s coastal traditions for the interiors of a João Luís Carrilho da Graça-designed Anfibio restaurant.

      Located alongside the Tejo river, the restaurant was designed to “merge the duality of the sea and the land,” the interiors studio told Dezeen.
      Striped benches create a corridor from the bar to the terraceNamed Anfibio – Latin for amphibious, meaning suited for both land and water – the restaurant serves both local seafood and “countryside produce”.
      It is located in a glass-walled, pavilion-like structure designed by local architecture studio João Luís Carrilho da Graça alongside the Tejo river and its interiors were informed by its riverfront location drawing on the “dazzling reflections of the sun on the water”.
      The lighting is designed to “allow Anfibio to transform between day and night”Within the 500-square-metre restaurant, which is used as a nightclub in the evenings, wooden flooring was stained with a “watery green” colour and a mirror-like fabric was used on the ceiling to reflect and refract light.

      “The building’s architecture aims to blend in and go unnoticed, striving to merge with the river and reflect the city of Lisbon,” said Bacana Studio founder Ingrid Aparicio.
      The restaurant is located on the Tejo riverAccording to the Bacana Studio, the open plan layout and five-metre-high ceilings posed a lighting and acoustic challenge.
      As a result, the studio focused on “creating visual and functional interest from the ground up” with decorative elements, lighting and architectural features rising up from the floor.
      “It’s the lighting itself that shapes and defines the spaces,” Aparicio explained. “We devised a concept where lighting emanates from the furniture, creating intimate spaces and avoiding the sensation of being in a vast and cold space.”
      Light fittings emerge from the furnitureSmall brass-shaded table lamps and arched brass and glass lamps, which were crafted to resemble the antennas of aquatic creatures, provide ambient lighting for each table and unify the space.
      Visitors are greeted by a curvilinear “snake sofa” that divides the restaurant into two areas – an intimate zone with smaller tables on one side, and a more communal area with a large 10-seater table on the other.
      “The design is meant to encourage you to let loose, which is why the organic shapes in the sofas, tables, and chairs, create an interesting flow to the space,” explained Aparicio.

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      On either end of the intimate zone is a long, 20-seater community table. The studio designed these with an aim to pay homage to the spirit of Lisbon’s traditional fish markets, serving as “a symbolic nod to the shared dining experiences fostered in such lively and communal settings”.
      The wait-staff station and the wood, wicker and brass bar separate the kitchen from the dining area.
      The “snake sofa” divides the spaceTwo long, striped benches, positioned with their backs facing each other, lead out to the terrace, “segmenting the expansive layout of the restaurant into more intimate sections”.
      The terrace, overlooking the port and the city of Lisbon, aims to “evoke the essence of an authentic beach club”.
      Stripes were prominently used on the walls, upholstery, and furnishings, reminiscent of Portuguese fishermen’s cottages and coastal awnings.
      Natural materials such as wood and wicker were prominently usedOther restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include a Mexico City restaurant arranged around an upside-down pyramid bar and a converted Norwegian restaurant covered in restored paintings.
      The photography is by Filipe Neto.

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      Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado create “most extravagant and most traditional” hotel in Portugal

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      Fashion designer Christian Louboutin and architect Madalena Caiado’s 13-room boutique hotel in the village of Melides, south of Lisbon, celebrates craftsmanship and has been “designed at the scale of the hand”.

      Named after the French designer’s signature colour, Vermelho, which is Portuguese for red, is Louboutin’s first hospitality project.
      Each room is furnished from Louboutin’s collectionThe hotel features 13 rooms – all of them filled with the work of local craftsmen and a selection of materials and furniture from Louboutin’s personal collection.
      “This project has allowed me to empty my storage full of antiques and objects I have purchased over many years!” Louboutin told Dezeen.
      Floor tiles are in Louboutin’s signature shade of redAt one point in the development of the project it looked like it might not be approved to operate as a hotel and so Louboutin decided “if it’s not going to be a hotel, I’m going to do it as my house”. As a result, each of the hotel’s rooms have been individually designed and have their own identity.

      “If you build a house, you’re never going to design the same room,” the designer said. “I don’t know a house where you have the same room three times – it only exist in hotels.”
      “Houses have feelings – they have different rules to hotels,” he continued. “You can’t have your house looking like a hotel”.
      The hotel has been designed in the local architectural styleVermelho was designed to be “well-integrated into the village” and it was important to Louboutin “that it really respects the area and environment”.
      Working with Portuguese architect Caiado, the resulting hotel meets the street as a series of traditional buildings in the local architectural language: white render with blue plinth and window detailing, terracotta-tiled roofs and a scattering of chimneys punctuating the skyline.
      There was nothing on the site before work began”We have tried to imagine a building that could have existed in that place, and that was part of the landscape,” Caiado told Dezeen.
      “To achieve that, we made a project adapted to the topography, relating to the surrounding buildings, and re-discovering traditional construction systems and materials.”
      The hotel looks onto a private garden and poolThe site, which curves round a private garden and swimming pool that looks out to reed marshes, culminates in a tower, punctuated with playful window openings that hint at the internal character of the project.
      Discreet from the street, the interior design and garden-facing facade is full of detail, colour and craftmanship.
      The tower features unusual diamond punctuationThe hotel’s maximalist and eclectic style was intended as a reflection of Louboutin’s personal taste, while also celebrating Portuguese savoir-faire and the traditions of local craftspeople.
      Having already worked with Caiado on his Lisbon house, Louboutin’s brief for Vermelho was to show Caiado an Indian bracelet from his collection, which from the outside looks like a simple gold bangle, but on its inside face was engraved with busy animal designs and set with diamonds.
      The interiors are highly detailed”I said to Madalena, the hotel should be like the bangle; from the outside, you don’t see anything,” Louboutin explained. “It’s to be a very simple, well-designed building that doesn’t give away much information about the inside,”
      “But when you go inside, it should be this animal and diamond thing,” he continued.
      Bedrooms feature murals by Konstantin KakaniasTo achieve the highly decorative and detailed interior Louboutin collaborated with designer Carolina Irving, who acted as an advisor on textile creation and decoration, and ceramic tile designer and interiors consultant Patricia Medina.
      Hand-painted frescoes by Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias cover the walls, while bedrooms features wardrobes with Maison Gatti French latticework.
      Playful murals adorn walls throughout the hotelBespoke woodwork and carpentry was completed by Spanish master craftsmen company Los Tres Juanes. Throughout the project Louboutin used Alentjo tiles, as well as giving the Italian artist Giuseppe Ducrot a blank slate to design sculptural ceramic details for the facade.
      The hotel restaurant, called Xtian, features a Klove Studio mural chandelier and a bespoke bar covered in hammered silver leaf, which was made by Seville-based liturgical goldsmiths Orfebrería Villarreal.
      The bar is made from silver by Spanish goldsmithsSpeaking to Dezeen, Caiado described the project as “at the same time, the most extravagant and most traditional project I’ve ever done”.
      “The biggest challenge was balancing the different constellations of ideas for each space, so that it results in a harmonious way,” she explained.
      “Especially during construction, Christian was present and brought his own creative universe, but also a more tactile way of thinking and with an artistic component of searching for novelty, even when it came to traditional materials and techniques – almost as if the hotel was designed at the scale of the hand of those who built it.”
      Local Atlentjo tiles are used throughout the projectOther recent boutique hotels featured on Dezeen include Dorothée Meilichzon’s revamp of Cowley Manor Experimental and Beata Heuman’s interiors for Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris.
      Photography is by Ambroise Tézenas.

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      Álvaro Siza designs tiled mural for Space Copenhagen’s Porto restaurant interior

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      A ceramic mural by Álvaro Siza is at the heart of this rustic restaurant interior in Porto, Portugal, designed by Space Copenhagen.

      Located in a renovated 16th-century building in Porto’s Largo de São Domingos area, the Cozinha das Flores restaurant features a mural designed by the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Portuguese architect.
      Pritzker Prize-winner Álvaro Siza designed the mural”Whilst Siza has created many pieces of non-architectural works worldwide, he had never created something of this kind for his hometown of Porto,” Space Copenhagen founders Peter Bundgaard Rützou and Signe Bindslev Henriksen told Dezeen.
      “Given Siza’s prominence and contribution to Porto life, having him manifest this into a mural depicting his perception of the city was beyond our expectations.”
      Cozinha das Flores is located in a 16th-century building in Porto, PortugalSketches of figures playing musical instruments stand out in black against contrasting green and burnt orange tiles, which were completed by ceramic tile company Viuva Lamego.

      “When asked to imagine a piece for Cozinha das Flores, he [Siza] depicted the recurrent theme of musicians, representing time well spent; fun, relaxed moments; a medley of emotions; and people joined by arts and culture,” said the studio.
      “The specialist craftspeople used a traditional technique of hand painting the scaled-up facsimile of a sketched image from paper onto the tiles, painted dot by dot.”
      The studio used green and orange tones throughout the interiorThe green and orange hues of the tiles appear elsewhere in the interior. Green cushions top the built-in oak seating bench that runs along the wall below the mural, while doorways were painted dark green.
      The colour palette was unified with coppery plastered walls and warm lighting.
      “We introduced plastered walls in earthy warm tones and a conscious use of light to enhance and saturate,” the studio explained.
      The focus on the local area is reflected in the studio’s design choicesNatural materials like stone, marble, brass and oak were used throughout the interior. The seating was arranged around an open kitchen, which has dark grey quartzite stone surfaces and wooden cabinets.
      Under the direction of Lisbon-born chef Nuno Mendes, the restaurant aims to celebrate the ingredients, wine and culture of northern Portugal.
      Space Copenhagen’s approach involved collaborations with local craftspeopleThe warm, earthy hues chosen by Space Copenhagen were informed by the restaurant’s food, as well as the building and area in which it is located.
      “The historical building structure that frames the restaurant and bar provided the base palette, which we have built upon,” said Space Copenhagen.
      “Aged stone and dark-stained wood were our existing starting points. All elements are associated with the city of Porto”, it added.
      Materials were sourced from across PortugalThroughout the project, the studio prioritised regional materials and collaborated with a variety of local architects, artists and craftspeople. Woodworkers from northern Portugal crafted the dark wood furnishings and fittings.
      “All stone, wood, metal and tiling has been sourced from regions in Portugal using a proximity criterion as priority,” said the studio. “All the millwork has been made by local artisans.”
      Natural materials like stone, marble, brass and oak feature throughout the interiorCozinha das Flores, and its adjacent 12-seater bar, Flôr, are amongst five heritage buildings that make up the Largo project, set to open later this year.
      Other local projects by Siza include his 1963 Boa Nova Tea House, which was transformed into a seafood restaurant for Portuguese chef Rui Paula in 2014.
      Previous projects by Space Copenhagen include the renovation of the Mammertsberg restaurant and hotel in Switzerland and the Blueness restaurant in Antwerp.
      The photography is by Luís Moreira and Matilde Cunha.

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