Casa do Conto (House of Tales) was born in 2008, giving rise to a unique project within the Oporto’s growing hotel industry. Unfortunately a fatal fire in March 2009 interrupted this process but not the collective will to complete the project. And many were those who generously honored and supported it. The House rises now fully rehabilitated, once again seeking its exclusivity within the usual Oporto’s hotel offer, which is becoming gradually generic and impersonal.
The project strategy is centred on the restoration of the entire building, recovering its original architectural value. This reflects the surgical nature of the design plan, adapting the new interventions to the architectural language already present in the house. The planned layout includes, as was formerly the case, an entrance hall with vertical access to every floor of the building. In the the focal point of the building, a skylight was designed to capture light from the outside, and enable visual contact with the sky. The house’s social areas (reception, lounge, library, dining room and garden) are arranged throughout floors 0 and -1, with the upper floors reserved for the private rooms. Every room is different, having been furnished with vintage furniture and other design items.
Today, the city is a richly varied organism, the quintessential domain of mobility. Inspired on travel and the coming together of people, Casa do Conto, a charming home with its own cultural agenda, promotes the intersection of people and ideas on an urban stage.
Renewed now, after 100 years of history in Oporto, the elegance of Casa do Conto is accentuated to welcome guests in an iconic cultural atmosphere. This is a project which could only have taken place within a city, a territory which drives interpersonal contact and stimulates creativity. The Casa do Conto project brings new significance to the XIX century bourgeois home in Rua da Boavista, one of the main arteries of Oporto.
The renovation project for the house, which is listed as being of special historical interest, has accentuated both its architectural and poetical value. The significance which these buildings can take at the renewed city, as a symbol for those who inhabit it, even if only temporarily, confers modernity to Historic Centres, and can help prevent their desertification.
As well as accommodation, the house is host to a number of other “tales”: themed discussions covering various issues; book and CD launches; small concerts and performances; films, shorts and documentaries projections; art exhibitions and displays; and artists’ residence. At Casa do Conto, stories can have multiple plots; it is an open space, receptive to critical ideas and suggestions.
Casa da Música |
On foot: 5 min
Metro: 2 min (Lines A, B, C, E -> Estação Casa da Música) |
Mercado do Bolhão |
Metro: 5 min (Lines A, B, C, E -> Estação do Bolhão) |
Avenida dos Aliados |
On foot: 15 min
Metro: 5 min (Line D – Estação Aliados) |
Rua de Santa Catarina |
Metro: 5 min (Lines A, B, C, E -> Estação do Bolhão) |
Estação de São Bento |
Metro: 7 min (Lines -> Estação de S. Bento ) |
Ribeira do Porto |
Metro: 10 min (Line D -> Estação S. Bento ) |
Teatro Nacional S. João |
Metro: 15 min (Line A, B, C, E -> Estação Bolhão | Linha D -> Estação S. Bento ) |
Igreja Românica de Cedofeita |
On foot: 1 min |
Rua de Cedofeita (comércio tradicional) |
On foot: 2 min |
Galerias de arte |
On foot: 5 min |
Torre dos Clérigos |
On foot: 10 min |
Rotunda da Boavista |
On foot: 4 min |
Mercado do Bom Sucesso |
On foot: 7 min |
Museu de Serralves |
By car: 10 min |
Foz do Douro |
By car: 15 min |