AB+AC Architects uses natural materials and sculptural furniture for House of Green Patios

Lebanese-Italian studio AB+AC Architects has created an "urban retreat" with terracotta floors in Lisbon, Portugal, for clients who wanted to feel like they were living in the countryside.

The 158-square-metre home in central Lisbon, which was renovated by AB+AC Architects, has a large terrace and a number of smaller patios. The studio gave it a refresh for a growing family that wanted to have a refuge in the city.

"The clients deliberately wanted to feel as if they were living in a countryside home despite being in the very centre of Lisbon, so we conceived the apartment as an urban retreat where nature, light, and calm are always present," AB+AC Architects co-founder Arianna Bavuso told Dezeen.

"Knowing that studies show that just by exposing ourselves 12 minutes a day to nature, stress levels decrease and mental clarity improves, we designed the layout so that every room – including bathrooms – has a direct visual connection to a green space, whether a patio, planted niche, aromatic garden, or the main terrace."

Inside the home, the bedrooms, office and recreational rooms have wooden floors, while the kitchen, dining and living areas feature handmade terracotta tiles.

These extend out to the 70-square-metre terrace to create a connection between the interior and exterior spaces.

The studio was inspired by the Filipino origins of one of the clients to incorporate materials "with a strong connection to craft and climate".

"Handmade terracotta tiles from the Alentejo, dried slowly under the sun and following the rhythm of nature, felt like an honest choice not only for their warmth and tactile quality, but also for their ability to naturally regulate temperature and humidity," Bavuso explained.

In the open-plan living space, AB+AC Architects placed low-slung, sculptural furniture pieces that add a contemporary touch to the more traditional materials.

"We mixed pieces by local designers, such as the daybed by Joana Vilaça, with more abstract, urban objects like the mirror cube, which act as playful amplifiers of space without overpowering it," Bavuso said.

For the bedroom, the studio created a custom-made AB+AC bed frame, which appears to have been made from stacked wooden boxes.

It was "developed as part of a modular flat-pack system using wood and magnets, assembling without screws or tools to support intuitive, low-effort living", according to AB+AC Architects, which creates a modular line called FlexiLiving Collection.

The colour palette in House of Green Patios was kept neutral, with pale cream and off-white hues used throughout the home.

"With terracotta tiles and existing solid wood floors anchoring the project in warmth and texture, we balanced them with a milky, silky stucco finish that acts as a visual calibrator: neutral, light-enhancing, and proven to reduce visual noise and cognitive fatigue," Bavuso said.

AB+AC Architects has previously designed the interior of a wellness centre in Lisbon and created a demountable pavilion that was shown during Dubai Design Week.

The photography is by Lourenco Teixeira de Abreu.

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