Architecture
This Blossoming Casa in Portugal, Casa “Pátios De Pétalas” was Created by Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier

Shaped with the gentle curves of a flower, this unique single-family dwelling draws inspiration from the surrounding natural environment and establishes a metaphorical connection with blossoming petals

"They say that flowers are all words that the earth says" - Fernando Pessoa

Like a flower, Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier has designed Casa Pátios de Pétalas to draw sustenance from the sun while protecting itself. With a U-shaped glass enclosure along the ground floor, the structure touches the ground lightly. The interior is sculpted by a curving structural wall along with the central stairs. Meanwhile, the ‘flower petals’ envelop the entire upper floor with their sense of organic movement revealing openings and courtyards. The architects have employed a limited material palette of white, aluminium, and glass to emphasise the presence of these walls. Thus, the petals gain more expression, more “body”.

The lower floor, mostly a large U-shaped glass, is where the petals simply land. Here, too, we can see three "light" materials: glass, aluminium and wood, always with the same objective: to highlight the main actor: the organicist white volume. Inside the flower, a wall with its curves and counter-curves organises, creates transitions, directs... or not... to the different spaces that appear... Fluid, the architects connect from space to space, visually and physically...  A floor developed in an “open space” concept but with its own moments also gives them autonomy and privacy. Stairs define the heart of the home. It is here that continuity is felt from one floor to another, from the sinuous, curved, structural wall. Three suites lie ahead, each one communicating with its patio that, with its rose petals, snuggle us.

In the decoration, you can feel the palette of pastel and “raw” colours used in architecture. Furniture that enhances the tranquillity of the place, casual comfort, natural materials, simplicity. For this the architectural and design team has leveraged the use of textiles and neutral colours and from time to time, one can see pastel green on the chairs, which emphasise the colour of the kitchen furniture and the wallpaper in the living room, A coffee table in bamboo highlights more the intention of nature that’s always present. Then there are the thoughtful touches - lamps in bamboo and wicker, vases in wicker and solid wood, with dried flowers and their fantastic colours from orange to lilac. There’s also the sporadic use of “old gold” - a sophisticated touch that awakens us. In the service bathroom, washbasins in “crude” tones contrast with the pendulum lamp and the mirror, both with the presence of “old gold”. In the master suite, a four-poster bed, accompanied by two wooden bedside tables and two wicker lamps lay dormant and simply await. And in the young child’s room, constructed for a little princess, is a cosy bed and a full-length mirror that faces the large patio full of light and soul. This is how the house of "patios de petals" has been constructed. An urban landscape inspired by the natural...and artificial interior experience inspired by the natural… This is how emotion is created and expected to be filled with laughter, dreams, joy and flowers… many flowers...

Words: Emily Leung & Nikey Cheng
Photos: Ivo Tavares Studio
Published on October 26, 2023