Architect António Falcão Costa Lopes

From the urban hubs of Angola to the wilds of Portugal’s Alentejo, there isn’t much that Lisbon based architect António Falcão Costa Lopes of studio Casa Fortunato touches that doesn’t become a shining accomplishment – properties full of characterful soul, orchestrated design and simply lovely places to reside and stay in.

Whether one is born with an eye for detail, design and good taste is debatable but for António Falcão Costa Lopes, his childhood in Angola, following his engineer father around construction sites definitely sowed the seeds for a lifetime fascination with buildings and how their design can affect how you feel.

With a career spanning heritage buildings, waterfront community projects, commercial structures to residential renovations, António Falcão Costa Lopes learnt his craft at the University of Lisbon, studying architecture, where he met his wife Filipa, who together have become a power couple in Lisbon’s creative elite – their unique style, warmth and personality infuses every project they come across. 

One of Antonio’s unique skills is his ability to fuse the old with the new – looking at the bones of a building before deciding what should be renovated, and later enhanced by a modern touch – Antonio sees interior design as a facet just as important as architecture, he believes they must work in tandem, a beautiful synergy which gives the guest the most comfortable stay possible.

This was certainly a method he applied to their hotel renovation in Lisbon, Casa Fortunato (now the name of their creative design studio) where he and his family lived in the rooms of the hotel before it opened, understanding the play of light, where the best spots for reading, sleeping and relaxing were, to create the ultimate user journey in his hotel. Later, meeting and talking to guests over a glass of wine in the evening became another learning touchpoint for him, to further understand the needs of the guests.

Now Antonio transfers his knowledge into residential renovations in Lisbon and beyond, projects for his design studio are coming in thick and fast, hip Lisboans wanting a piece of Antonio’s curatorial eye. The next Casa Fortunato is in the pipeline – a hotel in medieval village Alcácer do Sal in rural Alentejo set back from the coast is set to be another winner – with an atmospheric style that is the perfect meeting place between heritage and comfort. Like his other properties and projects, the hotel will be dusted with his curated objects gathered from his grandparents, Portugal and beyond, which Antonio knows contributes to guests’ happiness and mood. We look forward to visiting!