It all probably started for the Santos district of Lisbon when it became the site for a design school, the Instituto de Artes Visuais, Design e Marketing, commonly known as IADE nearly twenty years ago. But, over the last few years, the area has been attracting not just students but designers and architects. A supply of young creative talent plus large office spaces at very affordable rents has proved to be quite a pull for the creative industries ranging from furniture designer and architects to computer graphics artists. Santos is near Lisbon’s docklands area but neighbouring districts include Lapa with its smart homes and embassies and Estrella, a pretty and very desirable but slightly less expensive area than luxurious Lapa. Buildings in Santos range from nineteenth century warehouses to older apartment blocks. Some, complete with French
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