Skip to main content

Concrete, Water, and Wood Create a Secluded Brutalist Retreat in Portugal

Carvalho Araujo

The secret is out: Portugal is the place to go for art lovers. For years, the country’s capital of Lisbon has been the epicenter of a growing contemporary art movement that is beginning to spill over to surrounding cities. With centuries of historic architecture and art to build upon, artists creative types are finding a new style: combining classic forms with modern materials.

Caso do Gerês, or Geres House, is a shining example of this rising trend.

Recommended Videos

Built by architectural and design studio Carvalho Araújo, Geres House is a 10,226-square-foot live-work space in the hills of Peneda-Gerês National Park, in the northern region of Portugal. A secluded setting, endless greenery all around, and a chance to get up close to the wildlife from the comfort of your living room. On top of that, the home is filled with work from Portuguese artists, features two ponds connected by a man-made cascading stream, and offers unobstructed views of the valley below and the hills beyond.

The site where Gerês House sits originally featured a smaller home sitting at the top of a hill. This spot was prone to landslides, leaving the existing structure vulnerable to disaster. The new home is set into the side of the hill to rectify that issue. Needing to build a home that was stylish and sturdy, the team at Carvalho Araújo turned to the classic Brutalist style of architecture. The concrete form is able to withstand any future erosion while providing a sprawling, multi-functional space inside.

To help contrast with the taupe gray concrete form, a volume clad in wood was added on. This wooden section on the second floor of the home is where the family’s private spaces are located, including bedrooms and bathrooms. The warm wood adds a natural touch and helps the home reflect its surroundings.

Inside, the social areas of the home are spread out along the first floor. Here, the concrete provided a blank slate for the owners to display vivid artwork and custom furniture. Sliding windows provide views out to the valley while also allowing for cooling cross ventilation on warmer days. The wood cladding continues inside on the ceiling, delineating the public first-floor space from the private second floor which is suspended in a mezzanine style above the dining room.

Throughout the home, furnishings and fixtures are minimalist, letting the artwork and architecture shine. Custom sinks, bidets, and toilets were designed for the bathrooms, while the kitchen is made up of a single counter and a wall of hidden cabinetry.

Outside, the family has its pick of spaces to relax. A pond at the top of the hill was connected to a pond-turned-pool at the bottom through a series of concrete forms that allow the water to cascade down. Steps lead from the hilltop to a cantilevered patio that features a metal fire pit. For a real bit of luxury, an outdoor hot tub on a patio off of the family room offers jaw-dropping views out into the park where wild wolves roam.

Love the Brutalist revival movement? Check out Patio House on Greece’s Karpathos Island for more inspiration.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Beginner’s guide to cigar shapes and sizes — and why they matter
Why your cigar choice says more about you than your watch (and how to pick the perfect one)
A collection of cigars

Walking into a cigar shop and facing what seems like a million options is enough to make anyone panic. Cigars stacked everywhere, each with a strange name, size, and a slightly different shape from the last one. If you haven't done this before, it's tempting to just grab something, anything, and run!But hold on a second. Those shapes actually matter. They aren't just there to look fancy or make things confusing. The size and shape change the whole experience of smoking that cigar – how it tastes, burns, and feels. It's kind of like how driving a tiny sports car is way different than driving a big truck. Both get you where you're going, but the experience along the way is not the same.

What are cigar vitolas?

Read more
The writer of one of Netflix’s biggest drama is taking on James Bond next
We still don't know who will star in this new installment.
James Bond at a casino

The news that Denis Villeneuve would be taking on the next James Bond film was certainly exciting for many, and as we continue to speculate about who might take over as 007, we're also learning more about who else will be working behind the scenes on the film.

We now know that Steven Knight, the writer behind Peaky Blinders, will be writing the next Bond movie. While Knight is best known for his work on TV, which includes Peaky Blinders and the recent Stephen Graham series A Thousand Blows, he's also the writer behind Spencer and Maria.

Read more
Every new Game of Thrones spinoff explained
George R.R. Martin's television world continues to grow
Matt Smith starring in House of the Dragon

When it first aired on HBO in the early 2010s, Game of Thrones dazzled audiences with revolutionary special effects and terrific acting in a unique fantasy world. Based on author George R.R. Martin's series of novels, the universe depicts the battles between several different noble families as they try to climb to the top of the continent of Westeros, both politically and figuratively. The war scenes, family drama, and massive number of characters helped make the story feel fresh and new every time a new episode aired.

As Martin's attention shifted to television and away from his books, fans have looked to the TV series to finish some of the stories he couldn't finish on the page. Game of Thrones left fans wanting more, despite its poorly received finale, and a plethora of spinoffs are on the way. House of the Dragon already has two seasons completed, and there are several others in the coming years to look forward to.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon finished its second season in 2024. The show chronicles the heated family dynamics of the Targaryen empire almost two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The third season should pick up the civil war between Queen Rhaenyra's forces and King Aegon's after a slow-building conflict throughout the second act.

Read more