When the studio TRAMA arquitetos designed and built this amazing residence in Braga, Portugal back in 2016, they were inspired by a lot of things site-related. We’re referring to the wonderful sun exposure, the location and orientation of the site and of course the extraordinary views of the city. They wanted to take advantage of all that and to highlight the most beautiful elements in powerful but at the same time pleasing and simplistic manner.
The house is a two-story structure with a V-shaped layout designed to take advantage of the viewsThe social areas are all grouped at the center in a double-height volumeThe more private spaces are housed inside the side wings and they all enjoy panoramic viewsThe V-shaped floor plan forms an internal courtyard which incorporates a swimming pool and a poolside deck
The house is V-shaped and this allows all major internal areas to be exposed to the gorgeous views. At the same time this layout creates an internal courtyard which the architects filled with a swimming pool, a large poolside deck and a lounge area. Inside, there’s a social area at the center with access to the garden and pool and the rest of the spaces are organized on the sides on two rows. The upper floor is quite special as it includes a large garage volume for the owner’s vast car collection. It’s visible from any part of the living room. Check out the images captured by photographer João Morgado so see what else makes this residence exquisite.
The private spaces enjoy a close connection to the outdoors, even the ones on the upper floorsThe central social area is at the core of the house, bringing together all the other spacesThe private volumes are frame by long open balconies with glass railings
The ground floor living spaces feature large sliding doors and walls which expose them to the landscape and the viewsThere’s no shortage of natural lighting, not even in the bathrooms where skylights open up the decorIn the bedrooms the palette of materials and colors used in the design is simple and mostly reduced to neutralsInstead of a skylight, this bathroom section features a full-height window which brings the outdoors inFloor-to-ceiling windows open up the house to its surroundings, allowing natural light to enter the roomsThe interior courtyard is quite large, big enough to include the pool, a deck, a lounge area and a gardenBeautiful wood flooring and white walls ensure a nice fluidity throughout the house, connecting all the different functionsAt the core of the house stands a double-height volume with two gorgeous, low-hanging chandeliersExquisite human-shaped sculptures are hanging from the ceiling, looking like acrobatsA graceful spiral staircase connects the ground floor to the upper level. It looks like a beautiful, giant sculptureThe kitchen is part of the open plan social area but is positioned outside of the double-height volumeA large kitchen island capable of doubling as a bar or breakfast table showcases the perfect balance of colors used in this spaceTwo sleek and graphical-looking chandeliers hang above the large dining tableThe extra long dining table can sit 14 people and is perfect for family gatherings and other social eventsThese two sculptures are the focal points of the social area’s decor, being visible from both floorsThe actual living room is a large and cozy nook with plenty of space between the sofas and the central coffee tableThe master bathroom features an eclectic design with marble walls and flooring and large mirrorsThe spiral staircase has LED light strips on each step and a transparent glass outer railingUnder the staircase there’s a smaller and more intimate dining space with a round table and a matching rugThe staircase forms a viewing deck on the upper floor which is perfect for admiring the views of the city
