The affluent real estate market for new houses in Portugal is vigorously competitive. Buyers are looking for value-add, not only in the properties they purchase, but in the teams they choose to work with post-pandemic. As architects, at Third Skin Architecture, we won’t design just any house, we guarantee a wow factor that sets them apart.
The freedom to work remotely from anywhere in the world has spiked local and global demand for larger investment properties, especially in Portugal, and with good reasons. Our country is famed for its friendly and safe environment, desirable climate, laid-back lifestyle, and notable wine regions.
A new definition of luxury living has emerged and buyers are now searching for something different — there appears to be more emphasis on design and the artistic expression of a home, exceptional outdoor space with views to match, innovative and sophisticated home offices that evoke creativity, and the quintessential features that reflect the owner’s distinctive tastes.
We’ve carved out a niche within the sector and our efforts are focused on it.
Buyers seem to have become far savvier about home innovation and design and are looking for an ideal balance. We’re placing a lot more emphasis on the Work-Life Balance Evolution.
It seems that the work-life balance ideal is evolving and it’s going to take more than just a home office and good WiFi connection to achieve it.
Home offices are not new, however, depending on the area of your home, it will either have an entire room dedicated to its use, or a nook that can be closed off. For the most part, home offices have always had to serve dual purposes.
The biggest trend driving the high-end property market now is the demand for holistic residential living spaces.
These homes need to tick all the boxes in terms of an office set-up with indoor and outdoor spaces, perhaps with a separate entrance where staff and clients could visit for the odd meeting, as well as other amenities that offer comfort, style, and outdoor living where the family can bond after hours.
An exceptional view and location are also a top priority.
What was once thought of as a home that offered a work-life balance is now just not, and the concept is, in fact, taking on a completely new definition.
To balance it all, architectural designs are allowing for more space to be created between the house and the office, or through clever design incorporated into the home so that it is still quiet and serene yet professional enough to allow for a focused working environment separate from the family.
Fitness is an important part of this balance, and so there needs to be gyms, yoga rooms, or even heated lap pools that offer the homeowner an opportunity to break away from the family and the office to workout.
Kitchens are another area of the home that people appear to be spending more time in.
Working from home means more family meals spent together and far more use of kitchen appliances that can be left unpacked and on display in dedicated coffee stations or breakfast bars.
More cooking and entertaining means larger countertops that are open to the outdoors, with pizza ovens and bomas allowing for indoor and outdoor entertaining.
Home cinemas and playrooms for both kids and adults are also in high demand.
With the larger properties, homeowners can have gardens, and this is where the balance part of the equation really lies, that many didn’t think was necessary in smaller properties. Being able to access the outdoors, and literally listen to the birds, or the wind blowing through the trees and taking time to stare into the distance and marvel at the surrounding beauty all day long, is the ultimate way to work and live.
Which is why we think this trend might just be here to stay.
I’ve heard clients say, they never realized just how much they were missing out on by working away from home. They can now appreciate their investment so much more and they’re willing to turn it into the property of their dreams because it's where they’re spending so much of their time.
I have been designing homes for more than 10 years and I have noticed the shift people are making due to the pandemic.
I think we all realize the value of our homes and especially any outdoor space. But I don’t think we quite realized how important a connection to the outdoors was, even if it’s just being able to look through beautiful windows.
It’s essential though with these new requests coming through, that we create spaces that don’t date, have a timeless appeal and that connect to the landscape.
Flexible space in a home is certainly valued a lot more now, and while we all love the open-plan lifestyle around a kitchen, there is a need to have smaller spaces running off that.
Before the pandemic, many homeowners had incredible spaces, but were underutilizing them. Now with more time at home, every part of it and the outdoors is redefining the work-life balance.
Investing in designer homes is very much like investing in rare artwork.
Historic and architecturally significant homes, therefore, attract more than just your real estate market, they also pique the interest of the design crowd.
These types of investors carefully consider the architect, the place heritage, the significance of its location, the scarcity of the architectural features present, and any rare materials used in its construction.
The types of properties are not average and will hold and increase their value as time goes on.
As for the future, I hope that this new appreciation for nature and finding balance will translate into architecture being more about sustainability, informed material choices, and regard for the values of good architecture: namely siting, respect for context, good proportions and light, consideration of weathering and maintenance and the comfort of the inhabitants.
Thank you for reading!
Joel Rosa, the Founder and Creative Mind behind Third Skin Architecture | Portugal
