The apartment is located in Rua Frei Manuel do Cenáculo in one of Lisbon’s central districts, which is currently undergoing regeneration. During the project, the word ‘Cenáculo’ (cenacle) caught our attention because of its architectural connotations. ‘Cenacle’ comes from the word ‘cena’, which means ‘supper’, and it is used to refer to the room where the Last Supper was held. 

Although the building has no religious history, we used the theme as a basis for showcasing the dining room as an elegant area for socialising. Taking advantage of the height of the roof, a double-height space was created to give the apartment a more roomy feel. The entrance hall was extended to become an interior ‘room’ rather than a narrow corridor separating the two halves of the apartment.

The social area in the apartment is complemented by the kitchen workbench, which features an old chimney. The workbench was reworked and extended, swapping the sink and stove areas. The adjoining terrace was incorporated into the living area by extending the wooden floor.

The bedrooms were opened up by reconfiguring the original partitions to create a central bedroom providing access to two small bedrooms. In the central part of the apartment, a new bathroom was built to serve the bedrooms, allowing the original bathroom on the old terrace to be converted into a laundry room.