A heritage property at the heart of Lisbon has been converted into a 24-room boutique hotel with the feel of a country retreat. Located between buzzy Bairro Alto and residential Príncipe Real, Pátio do Tijolo encourages slow living and peaceful contemplation amid natural stone hues and lush greenery.
The Lisbon hotel opened in 2023 following an intervention by Spanish interior designer Natalia Tubella and Carina Seelig of Portuguese architecture practice Base Geométrica. Working together, they emphasised a calm atmosphere in shared spaces like the plant-filled courtyard, kitchen and salon while opening views to the outdoors – including a striking Tagus River panorama.
Pátio do Tijolo’s reworked façade was inspired by the 18th-century Pombaline style, in which slender columns form a wall of continuous balconies resembling a belvedere. This new facade is reached via a passage that feels almost secret.
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
Courtesy of Pátio do Tijolo
This respect for the building’s historical context extends to the serene interiors. The team finished the common rooms with Iberian materials like handmade Portuguese ceramic tiles and neutral-coloured upholsteries. Furnishings were sourced from Spanish designers and lighting from Santa & Cole and Marset comes from the designer’s native Barcelona.
‘Portugal is Lusitania, the country of light,’ says Tubella. ‘We have sought to take something of the light of Barcelona there with lamps and other items, created in the city I am from and where I live.’
The public areas offer a perfect spot to relax, read, work or enjoy the local cuisine – like the selection of cheeses, meats, pasteis de nata and refreshing drinks available at all times of day. The ‘zero-kilometer’ kitchen traces every traditional, seasonal ingredient to a small local company.
The private rooms, each one a different size and layout, have large windows and balconies facing the river and the iconic red 25 de Abril bridge. Tubella brought in pale wood furnishings and soft fabrics in serene hues, and decorated with framed photography by local artists.
Spanish landscape architect Elena Somalo designed tropical gardens with a broad range of volumes, forms and textures. Acacias, jacarandas, lemon and pomegranate trees grow in harmony with agapanthus, palms and bird of paradise flowers. Everything is lush and evergreen. Somalo planted dozens of native trees, contributing to the ecological development of the neighbourhood.
