- Interior
- Travel
Close to the Portuguese village of Melides and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, we find Pa.te.os., an estate of four holiday homes surrounded by an idyllic natural landscape. Here, in a stunning setting, you will enjoy the peace and beauty that the Alentejo region has to offer.
Pa.te.os is a family project that originated from the idea to share the pleasure of nature, travelling, and architecture with others. Owners Sofia and Miguel Charters want to introduce their guests to the authentic, unseen Alentejo, a region in the south of Portugal. They bought the estate of about eighty acres around fifteen years ago, and the duo kept working on the project until they had a fully finished dream project in their hands. To turn their personal vision of Alentejo into reality, they searched for a reinterpretation of local traditions. That is how they came across patios, an Arab influence that you often find in southern architecture and that integrates nature into an interior. 
To do so, they contacted the befriended Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus. The exterior of the four residences, which each have a different surface, finds its way into the interior without sacrificing comfort and privacy. In addition, each house is also a way of acting as a shelter from the high temperatures and various weather conditions in Melides. ‘We want to offer our guests a genuine, sensory experience,’ Sofia and Miguel explain. Materials such as concrete, European oak, and stone brought about an authentic effect. Each residence is an archetype of the original concept of a home, in which topography was respected as well. An interesting extra is the pool, which follows the shape of the houses.
Each residence is an archetype of the original concept of a home, in which topography was respected as well
In the interior, we mainly find neutral, earthy shades. Scandinavian and Italian pieces are combined into a serene whole that reinforces the holiday feeling. To guarantee a feeling of tranquillity, the interior was kept minimalist. Coffee table books await slow reading, a seating area next to the bed invites guests to a quiet moment. The Portuguese artist Olga Sanina collected foliage from the property and turned them into four pieces, one for each house, representing the four seasons. The owners even had their own fragrance developed that approaches the estate’s identity. The British perfumer Lynn Harris was inspired by the surroundings and designed a sophisticated perfume based on natural ingredients that blend sea breezes and pine trees. 
Amid the peace and wild beauty of Melides, you can enjoy ultimate comfort and a special aesthetic experience at Pa.te.os. It is the place par excellence to serve as a quiet retreat, on the natural border between the interior and the coastline and between the countryside and the beach. 
Photography by Francisco Nogueira