Sophia de Mello Breyner — Nova Origem Arquitectos

The space comes out of a precise composition of material, light and continuity. The microcement floor sets a continuous, quiet base, above which the textured walls catch the light and reveal subtle variations of depth. In counterpoint, the timber — strips of natural birch plywood — brings warmth and rhythm, giving the whole a closer, more tactile dimension.

The scheme dissolves the boundary between sitting room and kitchen, organising itself around a multifunctional central volume that takes in coat store and bench, kitchen worktop and an extension of the dining area. This element stands as the core of the space, ordering routes and uses quite naturally.

In the living areas, one setting is told from the next subtly, through a controlled variation in ceiling heights.

The sitting area, more restrained and inward-looking, contrasts with the dining area, where the ceiling rises step by step until it takes on an almost vaulted character. This move amplifies the perception of space and carries on into the softly rounded contours of the kitchen, reinforcing the formal continuity and the fluidity of the whole.

A glass panel and door make the transition between the living areas and the private ones, letting daylight cross the space and reach the bedroom corridor, and holding a balanced relationship between openness and seclusion.

In the end, the space reveals itself in the way the light travels through it: it slides over the surfaces, gives the volumes density and wraps the timber, carrying on out to the landscape beyond. The house thus stands as a coherent, calm whole, where inside and outside hold to one another in a quiet, deliberate continuity.