Maison Noir Boutique Hotel

Boutique hotel conversion of a Lisbon textile warehouse. 14 individually designed rooms with Portuguese marble and blackened steel.

The building had been vacant for three years. Water damage, outdated electrical, and a fragmented layout across four floors made it a complex renovation with a tight timeline.

The client also faced strict heritage regulations that prevented changes to the street-facing facade and original staircase. Every design decision had to work within these constraints while still delivering a contemporary hospitality experience that could compete with established Lisbon hotels.

We preserved the original iron columns and timber trusses while inserting contemporary interventions in tadelakt, blackened steel, and Portuguese marble. Each of the 14 rooms was designed individually with its own palette and character.

The ground floor was reimagined as a public-facing lobby bar with a double-height ceiling, terrazzo flooring, and a custom reception desk carved from a single block of Estremoz marble. Lighting was designed room by room with local ceramicist Ana Brito, who created bespoke fixtures for every guest room.

The hotel launched at 94% occupancy in its first month and was featured in Monocle and Wallpaper* within six weeks of opening. It has since become a reference project for hospitality clients approaching the studio.

Revenue per available room exceeded projections by 30% in the first quarter, driven largely by the lobby bar becoming a destination for locals. The project demonstrated that heritage constraints, when embraced rather than fought, produce spaces with a depth that new builds rarely achieve.