Georges Schweder and his business partner Ferdinand Claus could hardly have imagined that Claus Porto, the little soap and fragrance business they set up in 1887 in Porto, would, five generations later, still be tempting an appreciative clientele. What’s not to love? The packaging of angular patterns and Gatsby-esque lettering – said to have been inspired by Portugal’s Belle Epoque ceramics and Azulejo tiles – opens up with scents of pine, eucalyptus, juniper and patchouli, as seductive today as they were when the German founders first concocted them 130 years ago.
And now, following his work on the brand’s first Lisbon store, architect João Mendes Ribeiro has, in something of a full circle moment, converted a three-storey 19th-century townhouse in Porto into, literally, a fragrant set-piece.
The dramatic space is anchored by a staircase of riga timber and a vertical garden. Small vitrines, like jewellery boxes really, hold the house’s signature colognes, while a marble basin is particularly handy for lathering up test soap bars. On Saturdays, the store offers hot towel shaves featuring, of course, products from the Claus Porto male grooming range.
For history buffs, the second floor will be of great interest, featuring not just original factory furniture, but also archival material and specimens, including the evolving typography and patterns; whilst the top floor holds an interactive scent lab, and mini soap factory.
ADDRESS
Rua das Flores, 22
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
Formafantasma’s biodiversity-boosting installation in a Perrier Jouët vineyard is cross-pollination at its bestFormafantasma and Perrier Jouët unveil the first project in their ‘Cohabitare’ initiative, ‘not only a work of art but also a contribution to the ecosystem’
-
Gingerbread City: architects sculpt London out of the season's favourite treatUntil December 29 in Chelsea, see London brought to life in a seasonal-appropriate medium by leading architects and designers
-
Find serenity at Casa Fortunato, a Portuguese bolthole filled with lightDesign-savvy duo Antonio Falcáo Costa Lopes and Filipa Fortunato chose Alcácer do Sal as the perfect setting for the second iteration of their original Casa Fortunato
-
Discover Locke de Santa Joana: a restored convent turned Lisbon hotel catering to ‘creative, Bohemian aficionados’Born from the restoration of an old convent, Locke de Santa Joana has been redesigned by Post Company and Lázaro Rosa Violán into a design-led city break
-
The Rebello is a chic hotel with an industrial past on Porto’s riversideTransforming industrial buildings on the Douro river, The Rebello is a new hotel ‘with an old soul’
-
Modern, earthy lodges await at Lavandeira Douro Nature & WellnessLavandeira Douro Nature & Wellness in Portugal boasts off-track luxury cabins by FCC Architectura
-
The Algarve welcomes Austa, an all-day kitchen in touch with its heritageFrom breakfast to dinner, Austa embraces honest eating and local community
-
Marqí hotel brings a minimalist 1970s feel to Portugal’s Sintra coastDanish duo Mikkel Kristensen and architect Mikas Emil’s mansion conversion offers dreamy, cinematic escapism at Marqí, a secluded boutique hotel
-
The Largo brings craftsmanship and creativity to PortoThe Largo is the latest hospitality offering in Portugal's second city, conceived as an elevated residence with an art programme that connects it to the city’s creative community
-
Portugal’s newest holiday home is far from the madding crowdsPeace and tranquillity reign at the latest Portuguese holiday home by The Addresses
