The intervention in this fairly new house was requested for two main reasons. On the one hand, it was necessary to rethink the main layout of the existing house. The functional and spatial relationships between functions were to be partially redefined in order to respond to the client’s way of living, the kitchen was to be reorganized, bathrooms were to be added. The finishing materials, on the other hand, should reinforce the new arrangement and the intended atmosphere. Materials were restrictedly selected. Estremoz marble, with a tone similar to the Lioz marble in the exterior, and oak wood stand out from the neutral white walls and doors. The replacement of the existing aluminium window frames by thinner profiles reduces their presence and maximises the relationship between interior and exterior. Also, the new frames are finished in oak wood in the interior face, contributing to the warmth of the inner ambience. This is further achieved through continuous curtains in the living spaces, interiorizing space and diminishing the presence of the somewhat disordered openings, which were not allowed to be altered. Details set the tone of the intervention’s subtlety, such as in the thin, delicate handrail in the outer stairs of the main entrance—a theme retaken in the interior stairs reinforcing the sense of unity—to the kitchen cabinets, with door handles carved into the solid wood. This search for silent details is further pursued in cases such as the latches of the window frames, embedded in the walls’ lining marble. The fireplace is designed as part of a larger sideboard in the living room in black steel. These principles were brought to the outside. The swimming pool is finished in Lioz marble, giving continuity to the outer pavement and creating a light blue reflecting light. An elegant volume in galvanized steel painted dark grey encloses this outer space, solving all technical and service needs. While securing privacy, the rhythmic texture of steel bars creates a foreground abstract plan enhancing the presence of the sky and the treetops beyond
