House “Patios Of Petals” / Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier

Architects: Sandra Micaela Casinha ateliêr
Area: 2476 ft²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Ivo Tavares Studio
Manufacturers: Cosentino, Margres, Aleluia Cerâmicas, Banema, Cortizo, Gohome, JNF, Ofa Torneiras, Pladec, Sanitana, Webber isolamentos
Lead Architect: Sandra Micaela Casinha
Category: Houses
Builder: Prestige obras
Engineering: Jorge de Andrade Leite engenharias
Interior Design: Sandra Micaela Casinha ateliêr
Municipality: Gondomar
Country: Portugal

House “Patios of Petals” residential building designed by Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier explores organic formal language through floral metaphors and material restraint. The house touches the terrain with a U-shaped glazing system and is structured around a curved internal wall and central staircase that define its core. Petal-like volumes envelop the upper floor, generating patios and openings that follow the organic form. The palette is limited to white, aluminum, and glass to emphasize the sculptural quality of the petals. Internally, the curved structural wall organizes the open-plan interior with fluid transitions between private and social spaces. Three suites open to patios described as floral enclosures that embrace the occupants. Interior design reinforces the architectural language through a palette of raw and pastel colors, natural materials, and minimal interventions. The project expresses an artificial interior experience inspired by natural forms and aims to evoke emotional resonance through spatial softness and floral references.

House “patios of petals” / sandra micaela casinha atelier

“They say that flowers are all words that the earth says,” wrote Fernando Pessoa. Inspired by this idea, the house Patios of Petals was conceived to function like a flower, nourished and shielded by the sun. The structure meets the ground lightly, defined by a large U-shaped glazing system. A curved internal structural wall, together with the central staircase considered the heart of the house, forms the foundation of its interior organization. The petal-like volumes encompass the entire upper floor, and through their organic movement, the patios and openings emerge naturally. To emphasize these architectural gestures, the material palette was deliberately restricted to three elements: white, used to outline the petals, aluminum, and glass. This selective use allows the petals to take on greater expression and physical presence. The ground floor, primarily defined by the U-shaped glazing, serves as the base where the petals rest. In this part of the house, three lightweight materials—glass, aluminum, and wood—are also employed with the same purpose: to highlight the primary architectural element, the organic white volume.

Inside the flower, as previously described, a wall with curves and counter-curves organizes the interior, creates transitions, and guides movement, or at times does not, through the various emerging spaces. The spatial arrangement flows fluidly from one area to another, both visually and physically. The floor follows an open space concept, yet includes distinct moments that provide each zone with a sense of autonomy and privacy.

The stairs define the heart of the home, and it is at this point that continuity is experienced between one floor and the next, following the path of the sinuous, curved structural wall.

Three suites extend forward, each connected to a private patio that, shaped like rose petals, offers a sense of enclosure and intimacy.

The interior decoration reflects the same palette of pastel and raw tones used in the architectural design. The furniture supports the atmosphere of tranquility, casual comfort, simplicity, and the use of natural materials. Textiles and neutral colors reinforce this mood, with occasional touches of pastel green on the chairs, which highlight the tones found in the kitchen cabinetry and the wallpaper in the living room. A bamboo coffee table further emphasizes the constant presence of nature. Lighting fixtures in bamboo and wicker, along with vases made of wicker and solid wood, are combined with dried flowers in vivid shades ranging from orange to lilac. In certain areas, touches of old gold are introduced as a subtle yet sophisticated accent. In the service bathroom, washbasins in crude tones contrast with a pendulum lamp and a mirror, both finished in old gold.

In the master suite, a four-poster bed is accompanied by two wooden bedside tables and two wicker lamps that stand quietly in place.

The little girl’s room, envisioned as a space for a young princess, features a cozy bed and a full-length mirror, and opens onto a large patio filled with light and character.

The house Patios of Petals presents itself as an urban landscape shaped by natural inspiration, with an interior experience that, though artificial, draws directly from the organic. Through this dialogue, the project seeks to generate emotion, anticipating a life filled with laughter, dreams, joy, and flowers—many flowers.