Arabic and African influences converge at this revamped Portuguese country house
Stepping off the plane and feeling the surge of warm air hit you as you set foot on the tarmac is always the moment you switch into holiday mode. The change in temperature, the dusty drive to a sun-scorched villa, the scent of a new destination piquing your senses: this is when shoulders drop, stress evaporates, and the exhilaration of exploring unknown terrain becomes real. This sense of relief is exactly what the owners of this Portuguese country house wished to channel into their home.
The Alentejo region in southern Portugal is unknown territory for most of the tourists who flock to the country every year, but canny Portuguese staycationers have been heading there for decades. Far from the bustle of Lisbon and the golf resorts of the Algarve, the Alentejo’s rugged, under-developed landscapes and proximity to deserted Atlantic beaches make it both a well-kept secret and an enticing getaway.
That’s what appealed to one family who wanted a home there and who enlisted the help of mother-and-daughter team Joana and Marta Aranha to create it. The duo have an interior architecture practice in Lisbon but their brief for this project was to help the family find a Portuguese country house away from the city, where they could spend quality time in a beautiful rural environment.
“We were scouting properties for something suitable with them,” recalls Marta, who heads up the studio’s architecture wing. Together with Joana’s 40 years’ experience, the pair knew they had hit on a gem, ripe for renovation, when they came across this one-storey property. It’s a 400sq.m house that manages to merge all of the elements that make a holiday home a true sanctuary.
“Getting to know the location of a house and its surroundings is always the starting point for our projects,” Joana says. “Here, we looked at what Alentejo gave us through its culture, history and influences to inform our choices and our colour and materials palette. We need to hear what the place is asking for, so returning to the context of the space is absolutely crucial.”
There’s much to inspire in the 1.2-acre plot. The Portuguese country house is surrounded by olive groves and cork trees, both of which are abundant in this region. This is an area grounded in agriculture and wine; the cork trees are a protected species here (almost half of the world’s corks come from Alentejo) and Joana and Marta knew their studio’s timeless eclectic style would work in harmony with the local, traditional elements of the region’s properties. They’d worked with these clients before and knew this was a chance to build their love of travel and their memories of past trips into the narrative of their new home.
“Our clients have lived in several countries so their concept of ‘home’ draws on different cultures,” Joana explains. “This is a Portuguese country house of blended influences; the owners’ rich, diverse history can be seen in details like the African furniture, the perforated brass lighting that recalls Arabic influences, and the Portuguese tiles lining the pool that echo Alentejo façades.”
There were tricky considerations at play too. As a vacation spot, the layout had to change to accommodate how the Portuguese country house would be used. Quality time was at the heart of the brief so the duo drew up a new configuration that would bring guests together. The long living room is zoned into three: a lounge, a dining section and, enviably, a section dedicated to wine. It retains a sense of everyone being in the same room yet gives them space to do their own thing.
A second living room doubles as a study and each of the bedrooms has its own bathroom. But you don’t go on holiday to stay indoors. “We designed a gym and sauna from scratch, an outdoor padel court [for a game similar to tennis], an alfresco dining area, a large lounging area around the swimming pool, and a firepit for friends and family to gather at night,” says Marta. “This is a family who love to entertain, and we knew they would spend Christmas here too, so the pavilion in the garden to host everyone was very important.”
Alongside the challenges of balancing the house’s aesthetic appeal with foundations that are firmly rooted in nature and the local vernacular, there were also practicalities to build into the design scheme. A typical summer’s day in this part of Portugal is hot, dry and long, so making the interior as comfortable as possible was a priority. Earthy tones – olive greens, weathered browns and rustic clays and terracotta – were chosen to chime with nature and give longevity to the look; opting for durable materials that need little maintenance, meanwhile, was a clever take.
Indoor spaces have been insulated for energy efficiency, and adequate shading was also built into the plans, to protect the interior from direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day. “We used local materials as much as possible,” says Joana.
“Combining small details that represent an authentic history and the current identity of a space is our way of finding a blend between classic and modern. We chose textures that are comfortable and pleasant to the touch.
“Comfort is a big priority but the mix is our little secret. The blend of noble materials with other simpler, more modest ones is something that is very characteristic of our work. We are creators and curators.”
Bring the Portuguese sunshine closer to home with these tips for balancing colour and pattern in your interiors.
