A residence with character | José da Silva

The residence designed as a holiday home away from home, sits on a plot close to the ocean and with views towards the protected green area of the 'Ria Formosa'. The 'Ria Formosa is a protected area of the Algarve region, that protects the local fauna and flora and also creates the necessary restrictive regulations to maintain the building in the area at a sustainable level. The objective of the villa was to achieve with the design the best possible views from the site in every compartment of the villa. This idea was taken down to the basement level where a landscaped amphitheatre allows views from the ocean at this level for two bedrooms. The ground floor has the central and focal point of the design which is an oval glass staircase that distributes the vistor to the various spaces. The living area has a double volume area that is overlooked by the bridge that links to the bedrooms on the first floor. The dining room is linked directly to the kitchen and to the Japanese garden with it's water feature. The kitchen is prolonged to the exterior where an exterior lounging and cooking area is protected by a electrical pergola that can be closed off for the rainy weather. The views from all of these spaces are great scenes of the ocean and nature reserve. Close to the Japanese garden and dining room is a glass staircase down to the basement and links directly to a large entertainment area. Beyond the entertainment area are the garage and also the bedrooms with views of the ocean. At the ground floor level there is a constant link to the large exterior terrace and the pool. At the main entrance the door which is a bespoke design for the villa opens out to the entrance water feature with fountain in black marble. At the first floor level there is the bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and the master bedroom with it's dressing room and private bathroom. The bathroom has a special feature which is a full height glass wall that becomes non-transparent at the switch of a button and turns the space into a private area when in use. From the first floor there is a staircase to the roof terrace where there is a Living area with hot water tub, a shaded area with barbeque facilities and the lift down to the floor below. The landscaping of the site is done with a 'ripple' effect of the planting and features which are provoked by the footprint of the building. The design behind the villa was to design the with green ideas so as to allow sufficient cross ventilation and reduce the use of the air-conditioning. The bathrooms and kitchen use top Italian design furniture and bathr room fittings. The design also kept the need of doors in the villa down to the absolute minium, even in the bathroom spaces. The villas has also been installed with the latest intelligent home and security systems.