Before falling in love with the house, Frederico Horta fell in love with the land. Two thousand square meters “in the middle of a forest of oaks and cedars”, partly bypassed by a brook, with the sound of water running and nothing else than nature.
“You can access a dirt road with no exit, and you can’t even hear those typical village noises, like the motor bikes,” the owner adds amusingly. After being a chef in several restaurants in the Porto area, Francisco has dreamed about having a rural project around this area for years.”The doors of Gerês”, as he calls it, overlooks the Natural Park in Vieira do Minho.
At the time of his first visit the house was not livable, but he could see potential: “because it was built in a fall span, it takes advantage of the slope of the land, with very open windows and frames and wooden doors”. A fan of modernism in architecture, Frederico has kept all these details in the renewal of the guest-house, the granite walls,
the two balconies that overlook the forest and the curious triangle-shaped window in one of the three bedrooms. Everything else was created within the rebuilding process: the open space on the ground floor with the fireplace in the living room, embedded in the stone; the epoxy floor,” very similar to micro-cement”, the three modern bathrooms, or the lacquered skirting boards and wardrobes.
“The house is very minimalist, and we want those who visit to have the chance to isolate themselves and be in touch with nature”, summarizes Frederico. For this reason, the stay is booked on an exclusive basis, with capacity for six guests. Those arriving also have the right to enjoy the saltwater pool, built in one of the terraces of the land, as well as the barbecue area.