Step through the doors of new Lisbon boutique hotel Santa Clara 1728 and embrace slow living through pared-back and careful design that encourages inhabitants to pause and be present.

The Portuguese holiday home sits in the heart of the city’s Campo de Santa Clara and comprises six curated guest rooms. Owner João Rodrigues tapped architect Manuel Aires Mateus to transform a historic townhouse into a contemporary boutique hotel, with rooms from €480 per night, while retaining the essence of the old building.

Aires Mateus is one of the country’s best-known architects, having made his name reinventing the Portuguese vernacular for the 21st century. Santa Clara benefits from the lessons he’s learned along the way, namely that less really is more.

Bold exteriors give way to muted, all-white interiors set with smooth surfaces and furnished with design pieces by the likes of Carl Hansen, B&B Italia, and lighting by Davide Groppi.

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