From a street approach, the charcoal grey facade of this family home presents an austere and somewhat mysterious front which leaves you wondering what lies within! The single storey horizontal structure, built from preformed concrete slabs, certainly makes its presence felt in the quiet neighbourhood of conventional homes in Mostero, a suburb of Santa Maria de Feira in Portugal.
On entering the garden however, all is forgiven and the home displays its true character and even more so when we peek through the floor to ceiling windows at the bright white of the interior walls of the open living space and understand the dual nature of the home which protects the privacy of the occupants.
House in Mostero is an inspirational design by the award winning practice of Arquitectos Matos, founded by Ricardos and Nuno Matos. They created the L shaped structure divided into two sections to incorporate a courtyard and separate the public from the private zones. The courtyard allows a seamless unification of all indoor and outdoor spaces and is a welcome feature for the efficient running of the home as well as an opportunity for the family to take advantage of the wonderful warm dry summer climate.
The outdoor deck with its small plunge pool and patio lead onto a garden, a simple space backed by a stone wall built from material found on the site, the remnants of a pre-existing building. This thoughtful act which honours the heritage of the site, injects a note of nostalgia into the project my naming it ‘the memory wall’ …
