New York-based architect Jonathan Fernandes renovated an abandoned colonial mansion in his ancestral Goa to create the Mateus Boutique Hotel.
Named after the architect’s grandfather, Mateus is located in Fontainhas, the old Portuguese quarter of Panjim, and the nine-bedroom guesthouse is run by his father.
Courtesy of Mateus Boutique Hotel
Courtesy of Mateus Boutique Hotel
Courtesy of Mateus Boutique Hotel
Fernandes maintained the layout of the original building – a mansion built by wealthy colonial merchants in 1879 – but broke into certain walls to create more openness and light. Many of the original hand-painted clay tiles remain in the flooring, while Bharat Floorings created a new, bespoke range of tiles to fill the remaining spaces.
The boutique hotel is furnished with traditional Goan antiques that Fernandes’ father collected over the years in memory of his homeland. Four-poster beds and cane and hardwood seating recreate the ambience of the original 19th-century mansion.
Interior designer Isla Van Damme (aka Loulou) lent her Indo-European aesthetic to the space, acquiring furniture and objects from Chor Bazaar flea market in Mumbai. Artworks of different periods populate the walls of the dining area, including an original by Goan painter F N Souza.
432, Rua 31 de Janeiro, Fontainhas, Panaji, Goa 403001, India
