Bem vindo a nossa casa which stands for “Welcome home” in Portuguese is more than a simple greeting for people living far away from the native countries. Building a house in the traditional style maintains so precious traditions and cherishes memories about dear places.
My fiancé and brother run together a family business. We have been owing Nino’s Pizzeria in Lodi, NJ for more than 26 years now. 14 years ago I met my fiancé and both of us originally come from different countries, my fiancé is Portuguese and I am Italian. Therefore, the Mediterranean style has been part of our lives and we are trying to surround us with things that remind us about our homes. Therefore, when we decided to build a house, the question about the style and interior was solved instantly.
My first acquaintance with this style in the architecture and interior designs was back in 2006 when I went to Portugal for the first time with my fiancé. Having visited Lisbon, I have fallen in love with amazing buildings and design solutions. In our house we have attempted to blend together traditional Portuguese interior with modern furnishing and technologies.
It was very important to build a house with open layout so that the place was spacious and full of light. Having a lot of space allows us to see each other while being in different rooms. In our Portuguese house we have managed to combine both old and new things, reclaimed and antique decorations. For instance, in my kitchen I have a tile mural that has been painted by an artist. It is located above the stove and has the painting of Portuguese wine which is so liked in our house.
Kitchen takes a central place in the house, being a key element of its interior design. All the furniture and decorations are made of natural materials, such as stones and wood. Modern high-tech devices are easily combined with traditional decorative elements in the kitchen. A large stove resembles old traditional furnace. The floor in the kitchen and dining room is made of Italian tumble marble. Special accent in the kitchen is outstanding contrast of the custom kitchen cabinets made of chestnut brown glazed and ivory glazed islands. Finally, selection of exclusive Portuguese wine that is stored in the kitchen completes its interior design. Wine plays considerable role in the life of Italian and Portuguese people and this tradition is maintained and loved in our house as well.
Inside the house there is a natural flow between major living areas. Every room flows into another, even though there is a possibility to close the door and create more private environment. The colors that are used in the living room add richer tones to the kitchen colors. Deep brown color serves as a unifying element in the house interior decorations. A bright light brown wall in the living room is a perfect background for the metal art decorations that make contribution to the general Portuguese atmosphere of the house. Amazing metal frame of the fireplace with metal leaves on it resembles and nicely combines with green flowers on top of the fireplace.
Elsewhere in the house, the primary idea has been to create an atmosphere of the Portuguese traditional home. Bedrooms, kitchen, living room and rest of the house are designed in one style. Numerous grapes decorations across the place remind about amazing Portuguese wine. Influenced by the original Portuguese architecture and design we have tried to reflect it in the house located in Lodi, New Jersey. So, bem vindo a nossa casa or welcome to our home!