In the heart of Lisbon, the Rodrigo da Fonseca project stands as a prime example of how luxury and contemporary design can blend seamlessly with history and traditional architecture. Mexto, the company behind this remarkable development, has made a name for itself in the luxury market in Portugal, known for creating residences that are much more than just apartments. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Miguel, one of the key figures behind the brand, to uncover what makes Rodrigo da Fonseca and other Mexto projects so unique and award-winning.
In this exclusive interview, Miguel shared Mexto’s vision of the luxury real estate market in Lisbon, the philosophy behind choosing historic buildings, and how the brand stays true to its mission of combining the charm of the past with the comfort and modernity of contemporary living. Rodrigo da Fonseca’s project is one of the most striking examples of this commitment. With a preserved façade and a modern reinterpretation inside, the building is a living testimony to the balance that Mexto seeks in each project: respecting the past, but with an eye to the future.
Discover how Mexto is redefining luxury in Lisbon by blending rich history with modern elegance—read the full interview to uncover the story behind their award-winning projects!
Miguel, thank you very much for receiving us here in this fantastic project of yours that A&D is working on with you. Before we dive into the project, could you tell us a little about Mexto?
Mexto is synonymous with luxury, synonymous with high quality, fantastic projects, projects that have already won awards.
How do you view this whole process that Mexto has developed, the brand’s growth? How has it been?
Mexto has been in Portugal since about 2017/2018. The idea was always to work in the luxury segment; we never wanted to work in any other way. It’s always family apartments, for families. In 2017/2018, many developers were working in the segment, but with products mainly for the Golden Visa market, which was very strong at the time.
Many people wanted to build small apartments (T0, T1, and T2). We never went down that path; we never wanted to follow the big trend. We said no, we want apartments for people to live in. So, we’ve always worked and sought to acquire buildings in historic areas, in the historic center or in more central parts of Lisbon, like the area from Marquês de Pombal to Chiado, a bit in Avenidas Novas, and also in Príncipe Real. All of that has always been our focus because we believed this is where we needed to be. And so, we did these projects. The projects Mexto has done so far have all been awarded.
Outside of this central part of Lisbon, we developed the Avencas project because we felt the location of that building deserved to be treated properly. It’s a mansion that was initially built by the patriarchate of Lisbon as the residence for one of the patriarchs of Lisbon. A 20th-century building with a history behind it. We felt that this mansion fit perfectly with our ethos, with our DNA.
Yes, renovations can be challenging.
We work very closely with the architects, discussing every detail, never forgetting that details make the difference. These days, there’s a lot of talk about luxury. There are buildings in Lisbon that claim to be luxury, but they aren’t. They’re all the same, they all do the same thing, lacking this attention to detail, this effort to discover what the building tells us, what its story is. We always look for that. We ask, “require,” the architects to tell us the story. How was it built? Why? What’s the story behind it? And we always try to incorporate that story into the project, aiming to maintain the building’s continuity but with modern comfort.
Of course, exactly! With the finest and most up-to-date materials. I think that’s very important. It’s interesting that you mention storytelling. I think it’s fascinating. We’re not just selling apartments; there’s a whole story, a past, and you try to convey that.
We feel that each project is like a child of ours, a child of the team (we have a very small team), and we treat them as such. We want to leave our mark, to walk around Lisbon and say, “Look, that’s child number one, that’s number two, and number three.”
So, there’s a very close relationship. You can tell that each project has its own identity. You change materials. For example, here in Rodrigo da Fonseca, we have all the kitchens with a wood finish in a very natural color, which has also become a brand image. Speaking of where we are today, what was the inspiration? What did you like the most about Rodrigo da Fonseca? What stands out to you?
From the beginning, I loved the building, and when Mexto decided to buy it, we immediately started imagining what could be done. It was a challenging project, not only architecturally but also from a construction perspective. It was a bold and difficult construction. I spent a few weeks here with my heart in my mouth. The façades were suspended.
The building was completely demolished.
Yes, it was completely demolished. We only kept certain details like the tiles on the façades. The entrance tiles are original, and there were a few other elements we preserved. The rest was too deteriorated to save. We studied the previous project in depth, went to the city archives to see how it was originally and tried to replicate it as much as possible.
To keep the original volume.
Yes, to maintain the volume and the design details. It was important for us. We always try to do that with each project, and they’re always different. We align the finishes with what we believe is the building’s identity. We try to play this game with the architects. And, in fact, Rodrigo da Fonseca was very challenging. At one point, we had to change architects because we didn’t agree. He wanted to do one thing, and we didn’t. We wanted to do something else that made more sense. At one point, we said, “There’s no way to work together.”
Sometimes, the architect’s vision doesn’t align with the developer’s or the commercial vision. In the end, we have to sell the apartments.
Our idea is to sell, no matter how beautiful it is.
It has to be functional.
It has to be functional, and we have to sell. We need to align both things. Architects in Portugal are very “artistic,” it’s in their blood, but they also need to be a bit commercial and understand that this is a business.
Of course, exactly.
It’s not my house; it’s a house I’m going to sell, and it needs to appeal to a market so I can sell it. So, it can’t be just… And in this particular case, it was challenging because of that. It was also a difficult construction because Rodrigo da Fonseca began before the pandemic. We hit the pandemic, which was terrible. With all these movements, all the construction problems…
Lack of stock.
Yes, lack of stock. We also encountered the Ukraine War. When the Ukraine War started, it was a really complicated process. At one point, we had to reconsider some finishes because we couldn’t get what we wanted on the market, and we had to rethink the process. It wasn’t simple, but it was challenging, and that’s why it was good. The result is fantastic, as we can see.
A traditional façade, very high ceilings, ornate ceilings, woodwork, and then you’ve managed to create a great garden and a pool. It’s really a very complex project.
One thing I always say when questioned is that our finishes, what we create and put on the market, are genuine. What we say it is, it really is. We don’t say we have Carrara marble, and then it turns out to be something else bought cheaply on the corner. No. It’s real Carrara. Is it expensive? Yes. But we don’t sell cheaply either.
And they’re materials that last.
It’s not our approach to go to the market saying we have Carrara or another high-end product, only for it to turn out to be something else in the end. We don’t deceive clients.
What happens is that cuts are made during construction, and by the end, it’s no longer the same product that was advertised.
We don’t do any of that.
Even though we feel the pain from it, in the sense that in this particular case, construction costs increased exponentially, and we could have considered, “Let’s maintain our margin and think of alternative materials.” We knew from the beginning that it would be this way. We already had apartments sold, and we didn’t change anything.
It’s also somewhat long-term. You want to maintain that heritage.
I think that’s our mark, and we want to maintain that mark and the good name we’ve built, which is visible in this project. The project is doing very well commercially, we have two or three apartments left, and the result speaks for itself. It’s a building with incredible detail.
You can watch the full interview here:
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Miguel and Mexto once again, because they have created a fantastic project for Rodrigo da Fonseca, with a traditional façade, typical of Lisbon, but with a very modern and luxurious interior. Thank you for this enriching interview.
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