Boutique Baroque

If you were wondering who the designer is behind this exuberant new bolthole in Melides, Portugal, the clue’s in the name. Vermelho translates as ‘red’ in Portuguese, and this is the work of shoe designer Christian Louboutin, famed for his red-soled footwear. The flashes of crimson that characterise his shoes have made the move from catwalk to this new hospitality venture, but this is not really a brand extension but a passion project.

“I realised many people have the fantasy of designing or owning a hotel. I like to make my dreams a reality,” says Louboutin. “This project allows me to empty my storage full of antiques and objects I have purchased over many years. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to show the excellence of many artists and artisans I admire.” The French designer called on a raft of collaborators to realise the project, including Portuguese architect Madalena Caiado (who had previously worked on Louboutin’s Lisbon home), editor-turned-textile-designer and friend Carolina Irving, and Seville-based Patricia Medina, another friend, who helped source the many artisan-made elements of the hotel.

With 13 bedrooms, the hotel is an intimate one, and Louboutin wanted to create a homely feel, but the spaces are nonetheless richly decorated and full of detail. Each of the guest rooms is highly individual, from the nature-inspired wall frescoes by Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias in two of the rooms to the headboard made from 17th-century azulejo tiles in another.

As a salute to craftsmanship, Vermelho is pretty special, and while many elements are Portuguese, particularly the tiles, the outlook is otherwise international. Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ducrot added the baroque flourishes to the building’s facade and other external areas, while India’s Klove Studio is responsible for the spectacular green and gold lighting sculpture in the reception, which resembles a pair of huge outstretched wings.

Ducrot’s usual beat is working for the Vatican creating marble monuments, and there are some other rather Catholic references at Vermelho, including the opulent hammered silver bar, made by Seville’s Villarreal, specialists in ecclesiastical silverware. Melides’ seaside location is another thread, with Nicolás Cesbron’s sea urchin light fixture in the first-floor lobby sitting against a backdrop of trompe-l’oeil shell walls.

The hotel boasts a restaurant, Xtian, where the tableware comes courtesy of Via Dura, the local brand that Louboutin, Irving and Rui Freitas had previously set up to promote handmade, local craftsmanship. On the wellness side, the gardens feature a pool, and treatments and massages are available.

And those flashes of red are everywhere: splashed across the floor tiles in the bar, framing windows and doors (in contrast to the pastel-blue exterior facade); woven into the Maison Gatti chairs in the restaurant; and used on the folky painted furniture in one of the guest rooms. In the Indian Lounge, a communal space for down-time, the ceiling beams are bright red, while the enveloping Asymmetry chairs beneath them, by Pierre Yovanovitch, are in shades of sugary pink and lavender. This hotel is a confection indeed.

Vermelho cements Melides’ reputation as one of Portugal’s most in-the-know coastal destinations. With wild beaches, pine forests and a laid-back vibe, the town is a discreet getaway for both Lisboetas and, increasingly, an international crowd.