Natural colors and organic shapes in this one apartment on the Costa da CaparicaThat Studio Gameiro packs with a mix of bespoke design and fascination for a place that boasts some of the most scenic stretches of beach in the Portugal. Pine forests, wind and ocean are the natural elements that have always animated the area, attracting surfers, tourists and travellers. Unfortunately, the lack of far-sighted building planning has also led to unbridled speculation, which over time has endangered the beauty of the place. Thus villas of all shapes and sizes have sprung up everywhere, creating a discontinuous panorama.
Arriba Apartment it is located on the top floor of a residential building from the 80s and enjoys a splendid view, aided in this by a singular semicircular plan. The starting point was therefore the valorization not only of the panorama, but of everything that has made the coast a place renowned for its indolent lifestyle and its exuberant nature. Also for this reason, the original structure, with two bedrooms and a very spacious terrace, was not questioned. In particular, the inspiration comes from the meeting and clash between two very different elements, although both natural: the fossil cliff and the sea. “In this context, the objective of this project was to create a tranquil environment in the lively heart of Costa da Caparica, creating a space that could be a smooth transition between these two natural elements and that would translate and incorporate their materiality” explains the study.
With the right proportions, the contrast comes to life in the home walls first and foremost through the choice of an essential palette, which relies on the natural colors of the materials: stuccos based on lime and limestone form the backdrop to the flashes of green and blue of the finishes some furniture. The style of the furnishings already developed by Studio Gameiro fits perfectly with the context, enhanced by other custom-made pieces. The entrance, which lets the gaze run directly to the terrace through an immense sliding window, is fronted by a solid wood table designed with a nod to the colors of local fishing boats.
Thought out in every detail, it is then open kitchen, which takes us directly to the beach. In fact, the low cabinets have doors with vertical grooves that recall the wooden planks of the huts found on the coast. For the upper cabinets the same logic was used, but with reference to the external walls of the huts which are filled with straw. Thus the vertical grooves of the cabinet doors imitate their lines. The worktop is in Lioz beige, a type of limestone found in the Lisbon region, ideally reconnecting the sea to the land.
Access to the study/bedroom consists of a double door and is imagined as an extension of the living area. Right here there is a custom-made desk and the many solid wood accessories (such as shelving and knobs) give shape to an intimate and elegant atmosphere. Also there bedroom The main room is equipped with a custom-made bed, bedside tables and a make-up desk set between two walls. To distinguish the bathroom in the search for natural references they are definitely the sinuous shapes. The entire room is in fact organized around an organic shower tray inspired by driftwood and shells brought by the surf. Reinforcing this sensation is the plate’s material itself, consisting of carefully designed cutouts of Moleanos stone – a Portuguese limestone that is embedded with remains of sea shells.
www.studiogameiro.com
Stefano Annovazzi Lodi is a freelance contributor who mainly deals with design and cultural projects for Elledecor. It seems that for years he has been dedicating himself to a novel with which he will win the Nobel, in the meantime he is revising his acceptance speech and working as a story editor for a production company in Rome.
