OUR REVIEWS ARE MADE ON REAL EXPERIENCES
A TRIUMPHANT MOMENT FOR CASA DO CONTO, ARTS&RESIDENCE WOULD HAVE TO BE BEING ABLE TO REBUILD ITSELF FROM THE DEVASTATING FIRE JUST DAYS BEFORE THEIR OPENING IN 2009, AND NOW LOOKING BETTER THAN BEFORE.
words by IEVAN DARWIN
703, Rua da Boavista, 4050-110 Porto +351 22 206 0340
www.casadoconto.com
Giving life to a beautiful XIX Century Oporto House, through a painstaking restoration process, the people behind this stunning hotel design concept, Pedra Liquida, has truly outdone themselves. Not just architects but true innovators, they have been able to capture the memory of the special house and was able to recreate its remaining structure or what was left to come up with something modern, fresh and elegant. With six stylishly spacious set of suites that exudes culture and creativity, the hotel is like no other in Porto. The original idea for the hotel was to use wood as its interior but cleverly, now using concrete after the fire, the refurbished hotel is surprisingly inviting with its sleek design. Having to offset the coldness given by the concrete, large windows allow natural light to pass through and vintage furniture give the interior a more textured feel which oddly goes beautifully with the clean lines of the concrete. With the rooms juxtaposition of industrial meets elegance and harsh meets warm, these rooms have so much character to them as it combines different elements together to create a thought provoking narrative. As you lay in bed and look up, you’ll realise that every room’s concrete ceilings have been decorated with craved texts about different narratives about the concept of house and particularly the 19th century house that the hotel is in. These unique texts have been created by different authors to relate to Oporto and its architecture. Casa do Conto embodies the city’s rich history and distinctive architecture that is about being solemn and vertical, where the city and the hotel itself evokes the memory of the past and the desire for the future. Not just another beautifully designed room, these suites do have a story to tell that resonates in the interiors, design and décor which all comes together artistically. A true gem in Porto and definitely a must stay for those who crave modernism with a touch of tradition.
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