EXTRASTUDIO has completed FUGAS LUSAS, a Delicatessen/ Café in Setúbal, Portugal. Set on the historical district in Setúbal, the project insists on customization in order to create unique spacial or material qualities. Taking advantage of low-tech traditional materials used side-byside with technological processes EXTRASTUDIO has been addressing the creation of a specific material universe as a key element in each project. Commissioned by a young Economics professor to develop a concept for a Portuguese delicacies shop that would also work as a café, the project represents an effort to revitalize the historical district of Setúbal, creating a new meeting point in the city. Combining two complementary functions required the creation of a unique space, one that should be as extraordinary as the products the client was proposing to sell and as cozy as a neighborhood café.
The construction works started with the opening of a large window front, exposing the café to the square, as a preview for the future terrace. New shelves were carved on the thick exterior walls to display a wide range of products. The bar, clad with typical Portuguese ceramic tiles, divides the working areas from the public space. In the ceiling, laser cut plywood panels; duplicate the pattern used on the counter tiled walls. The furniture is composed by a set of used hardwood chairs from the old assembly room of Setúbal’s Fish Industry Union, together with tables with marble tops from Alentejo.
Project team: João Ferrão, João Costa Ribeiro, Madalena Atouguia and Sónia Oliveira
