After opening the first store in downtown Lisbon in 2016, the 130 years of the historic Portuguese brand were marked with an opening of a “shop-museum” in the centre of the city of Porto. Following the premises of the first shop, the space sought to emphasize the importance of the brands' heritage: a vast legacy formed by the significant physical estate of their 130 years of existence, as well as the intangible heritage related to the symbolic value of each object of their rich history.
Number 22 at Rua das Flores is a typical bourgeois house of the 19th century in Porto, characterized by the traditional typology of a long and narrow lot. The typology translated, in this case, to a three-story building with long and linear interior spaces, oriented in the northwest-southeast direction. The multiple floors were found interconnected by a fire-ladder, attached to one of the blind walls.
The main intervention point of the project in terms of space consisted in the introduction of a new staircase, which allowed to recover the traditional design and spatial relations of a central stairway, natural to the bourgeois house, as well as significantly improve all interior spaces. The long and narrow spaces were thus divided into two distinct rooms of a more balanced and welcoming proportions, which communicate directly with each other, conciliated by the presence of the staircase.
The distribution of the program throughout the building was done thoughtfully. The ground floor, which is accessed directly from Rua das Flores, is occupied by the store itself, with specific areas dedicated to each of the brand's lines. In the entrance area, a modular system of small display cases - between the jewelry box and the “table-suitcase” - allows the various products to be accommodated in a flexible way, which can vary depending on the collections. Beyond the staircase, the room is occupied by two equal volumes made of different materials, each with a distinct function: the polished brass counter top, where purchases are made, and the reinvented common solid stone marble washbasin where customers can test products. The back of the store is organized by a sitting- and barber-area, which can be closed off (by means of a curtain) in order to create a small private barber-shop.
The museum portion of the shop is set on the first floor, where the organization is also defined by the presence of the central staircase. The area facing the Rua das Flores is dedicated to the history of the brand, exposing objects and documents related to the most important moments of the last 130 years. A small set of selected objects is kept inside two old cabinets, themselves iconic objects of the brand, which hereby are no longer mere exhibitors but become part of the exhibition as historical elements. Along with these pieces, a selection of original documents is displayed on an old factory table. On the opposite side of the stairs, the space is dedicated to the graphic evolution of the brand and their oldest and best-known line of products.
The spaces of this “shop/museum” were designed with care and attention for preciousness and time, without losing a creative quality for matter of timelessness. Therefore, the design is elegant and above all very sensitive. The use of noble and natural materials coupled with the re-use of selected pieces from the brands' archive form a rich, eclectic and inclusive space. A sensorial space, which is also emotionally involved and awakens relations of belonging and affinity with the brands' (hi)story.
The materials used were chosen for their quality and rooted in portuguese traditional culture. The ground floor is set in handmade hydraulic tiles with a traditional pattern, while on the first floor the wooden (hard pine) floor was refurbished; the monolithic basin is made of solid stone and the volumetrically equivalent counter top is layered in polished brass; The staircase is of a simple, stripped-down design, built of solid hard pinewood and suspended by a system of metal rods. The lightness of the design allows the light to flow through the space. Above the staircase, a lantern was opened which also recovers the tradition of the 19th century house, in which the staircase usually appears associated with a central skylight.
Display elements were included in the design equally, such as the “table-suitcase”, the jewelry-box displays and the barber-shop cabinet on the ground floor, as well as the display tables on the first floor, allowing to create unity between elements and reflect a singular identity of the store.
