Grilo Garden Houses

Time is often the most valuable part of a real estate project.

Approvals, licensing and construction permits can take years to navigate. Here, on Calçada do Duque de Lafões in Beato, that work has already been done. This project offers two large townhouses with both architectural and construction approvals already secured. The future owner enters at the moment where the complex administrative phase is finished, free to focus on the part that matters most, shaping how the houses will ultimately be lived in.

Designed by Ternullomelo Architects, the project transforms a row of existing buildings into two independent homes organised across multiple levels. Unit A proposes 467 m² of interior space with 50 m² of exterior areas, while Unit B expands to 499 m² inside and 188 m² outside. Both include four bedrooms and share a private garden with swimming pool, giving the houses a scale that is unusual this close to the centre of Lisbon.

That scale opens several possibilities. The two houses can function as a shared development between families or friends, as originally intended. A single owner could also occupy one residence while keeping the second for rental income, guest accommodation or future resale. Lisbon continues to attract international residents, entrepreneurs and remote workers, and the demand for well-designed homes remains strong. In that context, owning two substantial houses within the same project creates both lifestyle flexibility and long-term investment potential.

The setting plays an important role in that equation. Beato and neighbouring Marvila have quietly become Lisbon’s eastern creative district. Former warehouses now hold breweries, art galleries, studios and cowork spaces, while the Hub Criativo do Beato has turned a historic military complex into one of the city’s main centres for startups and technology companies.

Life here moves between culture and everyday neighbourhood rhythms. Just a short walk from the houses stands the Palácio do Grilo, a 17th century palace now reimagined as an immersive cultural and dining experience where architecture, performance and gastronomy come together. Nearby, the French bakery Lully 1661 has quickly become a local institution, known for its traditional sourdough breads and pastries made with stone-milled flour and long fermentation techniques.

A few minutes further, spaces like Marvila 8 occupy vast former wine warehouses now transformed into a growing ecosystem of restaurants, independent shops, art galleries, performance venues and creative studios. Cafés such as Marvila Bakehouse and cultural venues as Braço de Prata continue to shape the area into one of Lisbon’s most dynamic neighbourhoods.

Within this context, projects of this scale are increasingly rare. Two large houses with gardens and pools, close to the river and still minutes from central Lisbon. Because the architecture and construction approvals are already in place, the opportunity is not simply to acquire property, but to step directly into the moment where a project is ready to become something personal.