CONTEMPLATION

REACHED BY A DIRT ROAD, THIS SLEEK PORTUGUESE HOME BLENDS BRIGHT VOLUMES OF CONCRETE, WOOD AND GLASS WITH INTERIORS FULL OF UNIQUE PIECES MADE BY LOCAL CRAFTSMEN. THERE'S A SIMPLICITY TO BOTH THE STRUCTURE AND THE INTERIORS THAT MASKS THE THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION BEHIND THE DESIGN.

- LAURENCE DOUGIER

THE STARS BEGIN TO FADE, and a softness envelops the sky in the hilly Alentejo landscape. Dawn is magical here. Towards the east, light pierces the sky like an arrow; a few minutes later, the sun washes across the pastures and the cork oak groves. At this time, this contemporary building seems to awaken, vibrating under a golden glow that’s echoed by the wood cladding on the facade and interior walls.

Cleverly concealed in the rural landscape, the home designed by Lisbon-based architect Gonçalo Bonniz blends into the hills thanks to its chromatic hues of grey slate, raw concrete and Kebony timber, which frame the huge windows. Anything that’s superfluous has been removed from the structure and pared back to the essentials, lightening the form to emphasise the substance.

The interiors were designed by Emma Pucci and Valentina Pilia, founders of the textile showroom and design studio Flores, also based in Portugal’s capital city. “We first defined a colour palette for the project,” say Emma and Valentina. “The tones were inspired by the warm earth hues and ochres of the Alentejo, the old cork oaks and their bark, and Verdigris; we also used off-white and cream.”