4.5.13 MUDE - Museu do Design

Rua Augusta 24

Location HERE.

Closed Mondays.

Website HERE.

The Design Museum is housed in a former bank building, occupying a prime location at the south end of the Rua Augusta. This occupies the block bordered by Rua da Prata to the east side, Rua de São Julião to the north, and Rua do Comércio to the south.

The way in

CAUTION two shallow steps down to the reception, information, and ticket sales counter. The lifts that take you up to the terrace are behind reception, or you can access them from the third floor exhibition space. The lift to the south side of reception (to the right as you enter) does not serve the sixth floor.

The vault

It’s very much a work in progress, but with a permanent exhibition, backed up by long-term additions, the downstairs vault, and sixth floor terrace now welcoming visitors, it’s at the point that it can be recommended, especially if you’re a design junkie and want to see the recent history of design from a Portuguese perspective, including the political and economic influences.

Tiled mosaic between ground floor and basement

The vault, with the very British name CHUBB prominently displayed, features the more than 3,000 private deposit boxes which the bank provided to its customers. Very reminiscent of the feature film The Heist (also known as $ or Dollars); many of those deposit boxes would have routinely held money and other valuables no questions asked, as it were.

View from the terrace to the east ...

There is also a shop on the ground floor, although the café and restaurant are yet to appear. Progress is constrained by the whole enterprise being owned by the city council, but more galleries are on their way - you can see that by all the work, visible from stairwell, lifts and so on.

... and to the south

New at the end of June is an exhibition featuring the work of poster artist João Machado. This museum is a welcome break from the crowds on and around Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio, from the rain when it’s wet, and the summer heat, as it has air con. Not much shade on that sixth floor terrace, mind. But the views are good.

Metro Baixa-Chiado; Tram 12, 15, 25 and 28; buses 711, 728, 732, 736, 737, 759 and 760 nearby.

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