Hippocampus Nº46

Artsy Cascais Boutique Hotel
perfect for a hotel due to its ideal location:
on Avenida Dom Carlos I in Cascais, with
an unobstructed and unparalleled view of
the sea and Cascais Bay, the Marginal road
next door, close to the magnificent Guincho
Beach, 25 minutes from Lisbon Airport and
20 minutes from the centre of the capital.
Taking advantage of the patio, the project
was expanded to the building next door, in
search of modernity and creativity that would
contrast with the beautiful old house, but without
taking away the historical prominence
it deserves. The result is a dialogue between
the exterior of the mansion and the old books
in the library, with the work of Vhils in the
more modern wing; or between the pieces of
contemporary art, alluding to Rembrandt, and
the brightly coloured custom-made pieces of
furniture, which inevitably remind us of the
hotel’s seaside location and the atmosphere
that surrounds it. A journey into the past with
a touch of the present, right in the heart of
Cascais, with nineteen rooms at the disposal
of its visitors - all under the general direction
of Francisco da Câmara Pestana, leading a
team that never neglects the attention and
importance given to even the smallest details,
and who arrives at Artsy Cascais after more
than fourteen years of experience, eight of
which at the legendary Palácio Estoril.
PAST E PRESENT
In a space designed by architect Pedro Gomes
that combines the modern with the antique,
while retaining the original features of the
Rococo-style mansion, the link between the
two buildings, united by a glass structure that
symbolically represents the “direct” passage
between the 19th and 21st centuries, is present
in the purity of the shapes and the use of materials
that respect the delicacy and elegance
of the old building, integrating it with what
is new. Inside, the decoration and design
project by interior architect Marta Carreira,
her first dedicated to a hotel, had the motto
of “immersing the hotel in its surroundings”,
bringing elements of sand and sea into the
rooms that recall the beaches of Cascais and
the bohemian aura of a town so often recognised
by visitors as the Portuguese Riviera. All
of the hotel’s furniture was designed by her,
with the exception of the set of striped sofas
from Ferm Living in the Library bar. The
focus, in terms of materials and coverings,
was on linens and raw fabrics, and paintings
in neutral tones, which combine with clean,
simple but noble lines to convey the cosy and
comfortable sensations that all guests expect
from a five-star hotel.
Without neglecting the historical memory
of the palace, but adding the creativity and
art of today, Marta Carreira collaborated
with Fipsi Seilern, a London-based artist
who explores urban art, and drew a copy of
a self-portrait by Rembrandt, superimposing
graffiti over it - which guests can find on the
staircase wall (original triptych) and in the
Library Bar, at the hotel entrance (reproduction
in mural covering). Also assisting the
Portuguese interior architect were designers
Gwendolyn and Guillane Kerschbaumer,
from Atelier Areti, with the lighting in the
Clube Naval de CASCAIS 101