Elegant Minimalism in Lisbon: Santa Clara 1728 - Remodelista
The latest from Portuguese hoteliers (and brothers) João and Andreia Rodrigues: Santa Clara 1728, a six-room guesthouse in an 18th-century building in the Alfama district of Lisbon. Photography by Nelson Garrido, courtesy of Santa Clara 1728. When the Rodrigues brothers acquired the property a little more than a year ago, João settled in on the top two floors with his family, establishing the hotel’s concept as a home away from home. Guests enter through a grand entrance hall anchored by a Moon Pendant by Italian designer Davide Groppi. In the center of the marble-clad room is a modular Extrasoft sofa by Piero Lissoni from Living Divani. In the dining room: A custom 20-foot-long oak dining table from Carl Hansen seats 20. Chairs from Carl Hansen surround the table and Groppi’s Simbiosi chandelier hangs overhead. An antique oil painting is casually perched atop a floating shelf that runs the length of the dining room. Breakfast is served at the communal table. The architect installed newly cut limestone baseboards. To maintain continuity with the 1728 building while modernizing the interior, the architect used materials traditional to Lisbon’s oldest palaces and churches, including limestone, wood, and hand-cut tile. A view through the oak doorway into one of the hotel’s six bedrooms. The four-poster beds are by Maxalto from B&B Italia, the cotton-linen mattresses are by Alma Natura, and the pillows and blankets are made locally. A custom oak closet near the bathroom. Bathrooms are generously sized, with pine wood floors and hand-cut tiles. The bathtubs and sinks are made of Lioz limestone from Sintra, Portgual, near Lisbon. The shower drain is a simple rectangle cut in the limestone floor.