UPDATED CLASSIC: The Portuguese villa with a fresh look

Set within the terraced slopes in the north of Serra de Sintra, the village of Eugaria looks almost like a settlement, each one of its buildings built in the same style and so projecting a unique identity. One home regenerated and reinvigorated by Jose Adriao Arquitecto knowledgeably draws on this area’s style and updates it, creating a space fit for a modern family.

Heritage home

This traditional Portuguese home underwent extensive renovations back in the 1980, during which the interior was entirely gutted and reconfigured using concrete slabs and brick masonry, updating the home to a more modern style. But now, a few decades later, the shortcomings of this renovation had started to show, the interior in fact not successfully improving the comfort levels within the home. With a lack of thermal insulation and areas of damp creeping into the home, this building was again long overdue a new update.

The saving grace of the home was, however, its traditional bones and the impressive diversity of flora and fauna that can be found in the region. Elements of this were incorporated into the 80’s redesign, including wooden floors, metal window frames and handrails. And although the entire indoor space was redesigned from the ground up, Jose Adriao Arquitecto decided to retain these characteristic features, making them a standout in the home.

A new lease on life

Key to this most recent renovation was the preservation of structural elements from work past, done in the style of the original construction. In using these elements as a base structure from which to build the new interior of the home, and restoring these existing elements fittingly, the 1980s additions and manipulations now sit seamlessly alongside the home, complementing rather than distracting.

This open, bright space has been very carefully configured in order to serve as a comfortable home for those living within, catering to their modern needs and standards, while maintaining and honouring the heritage of the building, and the village in which it stands.