A Lisbon townhouse, in the heart of the Portuguese capital, has been transformed into a calm oasis. The refresh was spearheaded by UK-based architects McLean Quinlan, who worked with the client, a couple with two children, who wanted a home centred on wellbeing.
Inside a wellness-inspired Lisbon townhouse
‘We wanted to create instant tranquillity, the moment you step through the front door,’ explains Will Mouland, associate architect and project lead at McLean Quinlan. ‘The space is enveloped by natural textures, diffused light and soft tones – I think it’s hard not to exhale deeply when you step into a space like that, particularly when it’s in contrast to the busy urban context.’
The client, the co-founder of a wellness company, asked McLean Quinlan to create an interior using natural materials and incorporate flexible family spaces; the façade must remain the same.
The firm began by reconfiguring the once uninspiring property. The residence was originally a series of subdivided homes that had been carved out of the property in the 1990s. During the process, McLean Quinlan discovered problems with the split-level floors, which left the house with echoes and bad acoustics.
Says Mouland, ‘The driving force behind the design was creating appropriately scaled spaces with an intentional flow. The aesthetic approach came from wanting to create a true oasis of calm, with an almost ethereal quality, distilled to the most limited palette of pale wood, stone, and natural plaster.’
The architectural firm settled on arranging the townhouse into a four-bedroom main house and a separate self-contained apartment above. The ground floor is centred on the client’s interest in wellness and meditation. This was achieved by creating distinct zones, including a massage room, a dedicated yoga space, and a gym.
However, it was important to step away from the functional feeling of a commercial gym, which led to the introduction of curtains and warm spotlighting for a more domestic atmosphere. There is also an additional custom cold plunge pool and an infrared sauna.
The use of Douglas fir throughout gives each room a cabin-like quality. The first floor is the main home entry and family area. A new kitchen, with a pantry, overlooks the garden, while Portuguese materials such as local tiles and lime-washed wall finishes are scattered throughout. The second floor, which is accessed by a repurposed Douglas fir staircase, accommodates family bedrooms.
‘There are so many spaces I love in this home,’ says Mouland. ‘The stairs, the wellness space, the pool changing garden room – but perhaps the space I’m most proud of is the relationship between the principal dressing room and bathroom.
'The dressing room is naturally lit, solely by borrowed light from other spaces, and yet it doesn’t feel dark. The chamfered wall to the bedroom and the glazed partition between the bathroom and dressing room, screened with the translucent linen curtains, are more successful than I anticipated.’
Stepping into this Lisbon townhouse, visitors are greeted with a moment of decompression. The light and soothing atmosphere that results from its organic materiality helps create a calming cocoon from the bustle of city life.