Architecture studio Spacegram transforms an old office in the centre of Lisbon into a bright, flexible and highly comfortable home

On one of Lisbon’s most recognisable streets, opposite the official residence of the Prime Minister, a former office space is renewed to become a family home. The Estrela – Lucky Star project, designed by Spacegram, addresses the transformation of a rigid, administrative interior into a flexible, luminous dwelling aligned with contemporary domestic life.

The commission came from a young couple whose life had been shaped by constant change—different countries and professional rhythms—who were seeking a stable place to live in Lisbon with their child. The home needed to be generous, bright, technically viable for renovation and, above all, capable of adapting to different everyday situations without losing coherence. The starting point, however, was far from ideal: decades of office use had left behind a compartmentalised, neutral space devoid of identity.

Spacegram recognised a latent potential in this initial condition. Their strategy was to replace the rigidity of straight lines and closed compartments with a more fluid architecture, where the curve becomes a key design tool. Walls, cupboards and fixed elements bend, soften and thicken to integrate storage, free up circulation and allow light to travel through the home from one end to the other. Here, form is not a formal gesture but the direct result of a functional reorganisation of space.

The home is conceived as a continuous sequence of spaces that can open up or withdraw according to the needs of daily life. Work areas—essential for the family—are designed as reversible elements that, through integrated enclosures and bespoke solutions, can visually disappear and return prominence to the shared spaces. Many of the curved walls conceal storage or services within them, blurring the boundary between structure and furniture and reinforcing a unified reading of the whole.

Natural light acts as an additional architectural element. It accompanies movement, accentuates transitions and defines the atmosphere of each space throughout the day. The birch plywood joinery volumes, treated with a warm white finish, capture and softly diffuse this light. Inside, walnut wood introduces a deeper tone, balancing clarity and intimacy. This duality reappears throughout the project, where materials and textures create controlled contrasts.

One of the most significant spatial gestures is the stepped organisation of certain rooms—a kind of interior topography that allows different uses to be distinguished without strict compartmentalisation. This logic extends into vertical elements and construction details, generating a constant rhythm that structures the space. Curves, present in each of these “layers”, soften the geometry and guide movement, reinforcing a sense of continuity.

The project also establishes a measured dialogue with the building’s memory. In elements such as the bar or shelving, subtle geometric references evoke Art Deco, integrated with contemporary materials such as raw aluminium or dark terrazzo. The coexistence of warm and cool, of classic and contemporary, defines an identity that avoids nostalgia and gratuitous contrast.

Ultimately, this project is an exercise in transformation. A home that demonstrates how interior architecture can completely redefine an inherited space without excessive gestures, through coherent decisions regarding form, light and use. An interior architecture where the curve becomes the guiding thread of a new way of organising space.

Project: Estrela – Lucky Star.
Location: Lisboa (Portugal).
Area: 160 m².
Completed: 2025.
Interior design: Spacegram.
Photography: Matilde Travassos.
Source: Spacegram.

Spacegram

Spacegram is an architecture and design studio based in Lisbon, founded in 2017 by Ana Ferrão and Bruno Pereira. Since its inception, the studio has boldly merged graphic and spatial design, exploring new concepts that transcend conventional aesthetics to create immersive and impactful experiences.

Spacegram pursues a holistic, transdisciplinary approach, where architecture, interior design, and objects are conceived as a unified narrative. Its methodology is rooted in continuous exploration—through trials and prototypes—in the seamless integration of the graphic and the spatial, working with texture, form, and colour with precise sensitivity. The studio designs with a human purpose, understanding space as a living entity that responds to those who inhabit it.

Spacegram embodies a deep commitment to design as both an aesthetic and social experience, where each project awakens the senses while telling a meaningful story. Their work communicates poetic innovation, weaving together tradition and modernity with subtle gestures and carefully constructed spatial narratives. Lisbon has become their laboratory of sustainable experimentation, where local elements—materials, history, craftsmanship—engage in dialogue with a contemporary and universal language.

With passion and rigour, Spacegram represents the kind of professionals we are proud to feature in Exágono: studios committed to sustainability, community, and a practice grounded in the pursuit of new creative formulas.

Ana Ferrão, architect and urban planner, studied at the Architektur Technische Universität Berlin – TU Berlin and at the Faculty of Architecture in Lisbon. She has collaborated with renowned studios such as Wiel Arets and Snøhetta. Her passion for design and fashion has led to extensive research on patterns, colours, and textures, all of which she weaves into her creative work. She regularly alternates between interior, product, graphic, and fashion design, and has collaborated on diverse collections—from cork wall coverings for Gencork to jewellery design for Sepanta Design.

Bruno Pereira, trained as an architect in Lisbon, Berlin, and London, brings to Spacegram a volumetric and technological vision rich in complex forms. His experience in multiple studios in Berlin and London, including Zaha Hadid Architects, has shaped a progressive approach that fuses technological innovation with craftsmanship. His desire to discover new realities through innovation is reflected in an eclectic body of work that spans multiple disciplines.

Project by Spacegram