Three Couples Go All In on a Portuguese Dream Home

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Portugal

A Coastal Refuge in the Algarve

In 2014, three couples who work across the hospitality, service and art industries met by chance at a harvest dinner in Kansas City, Mo. The group stayed in contact over the years and discussed their shared dream of someday owning a second home abroad. Some seven years later, they collectively purchased a property in the small village of Carrapateira, Portugal, roughly three hours south of Lisbon. “We had traveled together and spent many nights discussing wine, food, coffee and fermentation,” says Audrey Welch, one of the home’s half-dozen new owners. “We knew going in on a house could work because we respected each other as friends and as businesspeople.” Casa Almargens, which officially opens this month, is a contemporary three-bedroom, three-bath dwelling surrounded by farmland. It’s within walking distance of two beaches as well as the town square, where, Welch says, she often sees locals “meeting for their morning coffee or waiting for the fish van to arrive with the daily catch.” The couples tapped Jade Passey of the West Algarve-based interior design-and-style firm Escolhido to remodel the property and create a space that’s elevated yet sustainable. A stone accent wall in the living room inspired the neutral color palette; the old countertops were repurposed as a base for a new fireplace; and the local mason Paulo Caneco collaborated with Escolhido on several tables made of Portuguese marble. Pottery by Mariana Filipe of Malga Ceramic Design in Lisbon and images from the Ukrainian American photographer Sergiy Barchuk are displayed throughout the space, while glass doors in the dining room frame the surrounding hills and dunes. With “such beautiful nature, the location allows you to immerse yourself in the simple life,” says Welch. “Walking, exploring beaches, reading and cooking local produce are the things we love to do here.” Rooms from around $310; almargens.com.

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