Among the art-deco modernist architecture of the relaxed Penha de França neighborhood, just beyond the tourist path, an actor has acquired a home for peaceful retreat with family and friends. Extensive collaboration with the client rendered a space instilled with wrought-metal accents, vintage woods, and tropical plants, recalling the instruments of cinema’s southern California golden age and the natural landscape of southern Portugal.

A modest hand-crafted bed is the backdrop of the master bedroom, flanked by modern Portugese wall lamps and nightstands with vintage flair. Generous apertures show changing seasonal foliage, while an adjacent contemporary reading chair relishes rays of afternoon sunlight throughout the year. In the guest room, extant closets were modified into a nook, accommodating a larger bed and slender nightstands.

The majority of the wall between the hallway and living room was removed to establish a viewing axis through the apartment, accentuating and linking the cooking and dining spaces. Convivial meals are set on a custom-cut Estremoz marble slab atop a fabricated metal structure, supported by mid-century dining chairs, and illuminated by an enamel factory lamp. The living room doubles as a projection room; a floating bench topped with terracotta tiles conceals home electronics. A raw steel center table is surrounded by an inviting couch, a reupholstered armchair, and a classic Portuguese shelving system.

The pantry was merged into a spacious galley kitchen with integrated appliances, allowing ample space for social cooking. Upper cabinets are eschewed in favor of floating shelves for openness, including dish drying and cookware hanging. Just beyond, a balcony tiled with Algarve terracotta creates a gardenesque hideaway to unwind and enjoy the summer breeze through windows open wide.