A striking pink house perched on Portugal's Atlantic coast showcases innovative design that maximizes outdoor living space through patios extending from every side of the compact structure. Located in Lourinhã, about one hour north of Lisbon, the 1,291-square-foot home appears to hover above the landscape while providing panoramic views of the sea, valley, and distant village.
The project began when clients discovered a steep, narrow strip of land for sale during a trip through Portugal's countryside. Lourinhã, known as the country's center for fruit production and its proximity to world-renowned surfing spots Ericeira and Peniche, offered the perfect setting for their vision. The plot sits just a five-minute walk from the beach and provides sweeping coastal vistas.
Architecture firm Extrastudio designed the house with a radically simple form that combines elements from historic local buildings in a contemporary way. The relationship with the site's topography proved fundamental to the design approach. Four load-bearing walls support a cruciform podium that allows the house to touch the ground as lightly as possible, enabling the existing terrain to flow naturally beneath the structure.
The innovative platform design touches the sloping ground only once to provide entry access, while all other sides accommodate floating terraces that extend interior space outdoors. This configuration gives each room its own private outdoor refuge, creating seamless indoor-outdoor living throughout the home. A void cut from the solid form creates an open-air courtyard entrance, enclosed by a large sliding gate that maintains privacy while welcoming natural light.
The single-level layout organizes the kitchen, dining, and living areas within a generous central space that opens symmetrically to the north, east, and west. Three bedrooms face south to capture optimal sunlight and warmth. Despite the restricted 1,291-square-foot enclosed area, the interior compensates for its compact footprint by maximizing ceiling height, creating an unexpected sense of grandeur and spaciousness.
A large skylight reinforces the feeling of openness in the living room, while a carefully planned series of oculi allows direct light to penetrate the house's darkest areas. These circular openings were designed precisely within the structure's geometry using three-dimensional modeling. For four months each year, beams of light illuminate individual rooms before sunset, reaching peak intensity during the summer and winter solstices.
Simple architectural devices throughout the home enable flexibility and casual living. Windows recede completely into the walls, transforming the entire house into an expansive outdoor space and allowing activities like bathing to become open-air experiences. Gray plastered walls were left bare to create a monochromatic interior palette, while new portholes and niches were strategically added wherever possible.
Material choices reflect both practicality and aesthetics, with a steel door in the stairwell replaced by red glass to add warmth and color. Iranian silver travertine and bluish-green marble were selected to complement the interior walls, while the exterior, originally intended to be gray, ultimately gained its distinctive pink hue that has become the home's signature feature.
The landscape design maintained the site's natural character with minimal intervention. All existing trees were preserved, and a grid of fruit trees was planted on the slopes to honor the surrounding agricultural heritage. A long swimming pool stands among wild pine trees, positioned parallel to the sea to take advantage of the coastal setting.
Construction was completed by Vassalo & Sousa, with landscape design by Oficina dos Jardins. Photography by Clemens Poloczek captures the home's unique relationship with its environment and the successful integration of architecture and landscape. The architects were invited to experience the completed house firsthand, noting that the only sounds were waves breaking on the shore and distant voices from across the valley, with unknown birds warbling and frogs croaking from a nearby creek providing nighttime accompaniment.
