Lisbon in May is steeped in gentle light. Terracotta roofs stack against off-white walls, their tones stretched softly as if diffused by the sun. The stone pavement beneath our feet has been polished by time, winding upward along Cecílio de Sousa Street. Moss traces linger on old window frames, and occasional blue-and-white tile panels appear in weathered walls, carrying echoes of the city’s seafaring past. Lisbon feels like a well-worn book—every brick joint, every muted shade holding layers of quiet, unhurried history.
Atelier Cecílio de Sousa, the studio of Aires Mateus, carries a similar temperament. We entered the 18th-century space with an almost archaeological state of mind. Known for pure, restrained volumes, muted palettes, and an emphasis on the “void,” Aires Mateus shapes emotion through disciplined minimalism. The stone steps beneath us have endured for two centuries; fingertips brush against hand-painted tiles on either side. Against the clarity of the white walls, the ascent feels like a gentle passage through time—where the elegance of the 18th century meets the quiet simplicity of the present.
Since 2010, the Aires Mateus team has approached the renovation of this centuries-old building with a sense of reverence. Their intervention was not a rewriting, but a quiet dialogue—preserving the integrity of its spaces and structure so the building could continue to breathe within a contemporary context. Aside from essential structural and MEP upgrades, original elements such as ceilings, wall ornaments, and fireplaces were meticulously restored, allowing the building’s life to extend through renewal.
We did not fully return to the present until a door to the rooftop garden opened. Teressa from the studio greeted us with a smile and shared the team’s guiding principle: “The goal of the entire intervention was to preserve the integrity of the existing building—its spatial, structural, and formal qualities—because architecture is something that remains, endures, and exists through time.” Behind her, climbing plants spread across the white walls as if echoing her words. At the top of this 18th-century house, the rooftop garden feels less like a designed landscape and more like a soft exhale from the building itself—opening quietly toward the sky as light falls generously, drawing us into a slower rhythm.
The “Noble Room” on the second floor feels like the building’s temporal heart. We instinctively held our breath, immersed in the meeting of minimalism and historical ornament. Beneath the ornate plaster ceiling, oval frescoes still shimmer with the idealized light of nobles and angels. Restored tile skirting and wall panels have regained their quiet radiance. Modern, pared-back furniture sits comfortably among 18th-century details, without dissonance. Minimalism sharpens the historical textures; history in turn deepens the clarity of the contemporary. The dialogue across time is serene yet powerful, and every line and surface seems infused with an enduring elegance.
