Ray Of Light

The effortlessly elegant Porto home of interior designers Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda seamlessly combines high design with laid-back everyday living.

- Ian Phillips

The first time Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda visited their house in Porto, they discovered what they consider a sign of good fortune. ‘Everyone dreams of finding a four-leaf clover, and there were millions in the garden,’ recalls Artur. ‘It was like Alice in Wonderland.’ The duo, who run the locally based interior design firm Oitoemponto, had had the property on their radar for some time. Built in the late ’50s, it is located just a few blocks from the ocean and they would often drive by on their way to the beach.

‘We were always intrigued by it,’ says Jacques, ‘because it was almost hidden.’ They liked the fact that it was a single-storey structure, even if it was not particularly in their style. ‘It had pink walls covered with ivy and looked almost English,’ says Artur. Then, one day in early 2010, Jacques was passing by in his vintage Jaguar XJS cabriolet when he spotted a For Sale sign. As he recalls: ‘I slammed on the brakes, took a photo and sent it to Artur with the message, “We have to buy it!”’