Once largely a seaside industrial zone dotted with warehouses and factories, Marvila has come a long way, seeing a gradual transformation during the past decade, becoming one of Lisbon‘s coolest neighbourhoods. The area has become an unlikely hotbed for independent art galleries, eateries and co-working spaces for the city’s digital crowds, and it looks like developments are gaining steam, seeing more and more retail and hospitality openings in the area. Earlier this year, 8 Marvila opened its doors, a 22,000 sqm. (236,806 sq.ft.) three-storey former wine warehouse which has been redeveloped into a sustainable hub for art, culture, commerce, restaurants and sports. Newly opened, Vibra Caffé + Concept Store sits on the premises of the voluminous historic building, featuring an interior design by Lisbon-based practice Miguel Amado Arquitectos.
Occupying 123 sqm. (1,324 sq.ft.) on the ground floor, the setting sees concrete walls which were retained, not only to honour the building’s history and maintain the cave-like authenticity, but also to allow exhibited artworks to take centre stage. Since existing structures form the very base of the design, new elements, such as staircases, lighting, and furniture are predominantly of reused materials and were designed to be fully compatible. Additionally, black tones and minimalist designs provide another visual layer. Vibra Caffé + Concept Store is straddled along either side of a corridor, featuring a music studio, bar and seating area on one side, and exhibition spaces on the other side. While the café serves coffee concoctions, other beverages and bites, the shop stocks a tightly curated range of fashion and lifestyle items. Last but not least, the gallery hosts exhibitions by various emerging artists. © superfuture
Vibra Caffé + Concept Store
8 Marvila, Praça David Leandro da Silva 8 (Marvila)
1950-064 Lisbon
Telephone +351 218 870703
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
