How Pinteresting: Charming Lisbon holiday apartments spell perfection

Happy New Year to all of you out there! So much has happened over the Christmas and New Year break that has kept me sufficiently busy (hence my absence from Love, Thomas). All will be revealed in due course but for now, I wanted to  kick start a new series I am putting together each month called ‘How Pinteresting’, where I feature particularly gorgeous eye-candy that I have discovered (promptly repinned and drooled over) on Pinterest.

In this first edition, I bring you Baixa House, the most charming holiday apartments I have ever seen, situated in downtown Lisbon, Portugal. I first discovered the gorgeous interiors you see below while browsing the Pinterest board of Sonia van der Zwaan-Barrigas of Gosto Design. Suddenly, I was carried away on a beautiful journey through not one but 12 absolutely gorgeous, newly refurbished apartments! It’s pure eye candy and I am beyond excited to share these images with you.

The 18th century structure, erected after Lisbon’s 1755 devastating earthquake, has been fully refurbished to provide style savvy travellers with a cosy home away from home. The delicately composed interiors feature a balanced combination of the old and the new, with subtle use of colour and a botanical theme being the common thread that ties the spaces together. Interestingly, each apartment is named after a Lisbon garden which has inspired its design. I am swooning over the designer’s amazing choices when it came to the furnishings and colour scheme. Just absolutely stunning. Here goes!

 

The ‘Belem’ apartment employs a fresh and light aesthetic of neutral with pops of green and a botanical feel about it. I just love the jolts of colour that bring life to the room’s subtle palette.

The ‘Fronteira’ apartment has the most glorious bedroom, combining natural elements, tones and textures with swoon-worthy botanical prints above the bed. Rugs in cobalt blue are an interesting addition that take the composition from ordinary to extraordinary.

In the ‘Alorna’ apartment, the building’s original tiling was used as the basis for the colour palette, which draws upon earthy tones of brown, deep red and navy blue. The botanical theme continues in this space, while eye-catching brass ornaments and light fixtures mix with an eclectic array of furniture.

Here, a retro table and chair placed beneath a window makes for a sunny spot for afternoon tea, whilst in the kicthen, there’s gorgeous kitchenware to be found for enjoying an easygoing breakfast.

Botanical touches pop up here and there in the ‘Jeronimos’ apartment once more, through fresh flowers, delicately floral wallpaper adorning one wall in the kitchen, and prints above the bed. 

  

The bright yellow floral wallpaper in the ‘Necessidades’ apartment’s kitchen is absolutely delightful and perfect for a sunny Portuguese getaway in Lisbon. Bright pops of colour are brought back to eather with natural wood tones in the bedroom crisp whites.

I adore the fresh palette of the ‘Universidade’ apartment which ties together shades of beige, duck egg blue and ochre, adhering once more to the botanical theme throughout the rest of the building. Lovely!

I love the soothing pale tones used throughout. This is a holiday home I could definitely do some relaxing in!

 

The top floor apartment ‘Principe Real’ features an eclectic ensemble of rustic furnishings against the signature white backdrop. Naturally, the building’s original exposed beams were utilised to add to the rustic look and feel and I adore the injections of bright turquoise and tangerine.

It’s all natural tones in the neighbouring top floor apartment ‘Ultramar’ with the odd burst of sunshine yellow, and of course, the signature florals popping up here and there through a gallery wall above the bed.

To me, this group of apartments encapsulates my idea of what good interior design is about. A clever mix of old and new pieces - some dear to the heart, some key investment pieces, some inexpensive contemporary items - soothing natural tones to encourage relaxation at home with sporadic bursts of colour every so often for energy and fun.

I hope you enjoyed discovering this Portuguese gem with me! If you want to enjoy more gorgeous eye-candy with me over on Pinterest, follow me {here}.

Holiday anyone?

Love, Holly