The contrast between warm colours and Dekton Laurent adds character to this apartment

The Alfama neighbourhood in Lisbon is one of the oldest and most iconic areas of the Portuguese capital. Known for its narrow, winding streets, traditional fado music, and stunning views of the Tagus River, its unique charm and cultural richness make it a highly sought-after area for architectural restoration projects. This apartment is one such project. It involves the rehabilitation of a 19th-century building, with the primary goal of preserving the original architectural character while enhancing the natural light, which was quite limited in this building. The work carried out by Filipa Lencastre Cunha (Lencastre Cunha | Architecture) achieved this.

“When we have the privilege of working on the rehabilitation of an old building with historical significance, we must, above all, respect the existing structures whenever possible and, instead of trying to imitate, apply materials that create a break, a surprise, an emotion. Dekton, in this project, achieved precisely that,” explains the designer, who chose Dekton Laurent as the central element of this contrast.

“The challenge lay not only in the initial choice of colour, which turned out to be quite disruptive to the rest of the ensemble and ultimately influenced other construction decisions, but also in the fixing method, the material's resistance to temperature variations, and the way to resolve the joint on the opposite wall.”

Its dark surface, inspired by natural stone with golden veins, introduces a bold presence amidst an environment dominated by the warmth of wood and the brightness of whitewashed walls. The material is integrated into two strategic points of the apartment, the kitchen and the fireplace, and in both, it becomes an architectural feature rather than just a mere cladding.

In the kitchen, Dekton Laurent covers both the central island and the worktop, forming a monolithic ensemble of clean lines resting on a base of light wood and white furniture. The golden veins run diagonally across the surface and capture the natural light streaming through the window, creating a changing effect throughout the day.

The decision to use large formats allowed for the elimination of visible joints and enhanced continuity, reinforcing the sculptural reading of the volume. The designer explains that the use of Dekton enabled “the creation of a stereotomy consistent with the building's cast iron elements and the pattern of the pine flooring,” a relationship of materials that defines the project's identity.

The space, deliberately austere, allows the material to take centre stage. Its matte finish and the visual density of the colour provide a weight that balances the lightness of the rest of the interior. Dekton Laurent acts as an anchor point in a kitchen that is otherwise conceived as an extension of the living room.

The fireplace mirrors the same design language. Located on the opposite wall, it is also clad in Dekton Laurent, reinforcing the visual symmetry with the kitchen and creating a correspondence between the two planes. The dark surface extends to the floor and lintel, integrating the fireplace into the architecture rather than presenting it as an addition. The adjustment work was meticulous: the joints between the different planes were carefully studied, as was the material's behaviour in response to temperature variations, leveraging its thermal stability and resistance to expansion.

The fireplace mirrors the same design language. Located on the opposite wall, it is also clad in Dekton Laurent, reinforcing the visual symmetry with the kitchen and creating a correspondence between the two planes. The dark surface extends to the floor and lintel, integrating the fireplace into the architecture rather than presenting it as an addition. The adjustment work was meticulous: the joints between the different planes were carefully studied, as was the material's behaviour in response to temperature variations, leveraging its thermal stability and resistance to expansion.