This 1930 Porto house was recently completely renovated. We can only say that only the original wood floors and stairs remain. How exciting isn’t it?

After multiple tries at renovating this place and giving it a second life and consequent abandonment, this 1930 house in Porto, Portugal, was finally finished by the local architecture studio, Ding Dong. The Porto firm’s founders Michael Miranda and Davide Gomes were called to intervene by the actual owner that fell in love with the 1930 house and wanted to bring back the old glory time but this time with a 21st-century vibe.

The Porto designers kept the original Nordic pine floors and the staircase but demolished multiple walls to eliminate a series of cramped rooms and create a way modern and open floorplan. To achieve it they relocated the kitchen to the front in order to connect all the areas as one – the living, dining, and patio areas and create a better flow between them and invest in an entertaining zone in the back.

For the interior design, the Porto design duo blended generously multiple eras’ inspiration to honor the origins while bringing it into the current century. For instance, they mixed some traditional elements such as coffered ceilings and wainscoting with sleek lines and geometric figures. In fact, the local designers confessed their love for mixing and matching historical design and contemporary art in the same design. At the end of the day, is all about balance!

1930 house in Porto — A pair of Draga and Aurel resin and brass coffee tables helm the living room / Photography by Montse Garriga Grau

After the entryway, guests face a striking purple tapestry, a playful custom console, and warm oak paneling. The light wood walls carry through a narrow teal archway into the living space. It is decored with cozy furniture such as a sink-right-in Meridiani sofa, a Vincenzo De Cotiis sculptural seat, and a coral leather chair.

Mirrored framing leads to the dining area, where checkerboard cement tiles act as a rug beneath the yellow metal table, 1943 Jens Risom chairs, and blow-glass Paopla Navone pendant. The designers opted to use a similar floor in this area to the one in service areas of this kind of house and one of them, Michael, even added that the fact of using tiles as a carpet derives from the importance they give to this area and the desire of making it different.

Outside of the glass sliding doors, we can find a green courtyard which is a gem and pretty rare in a city like Porto. A leafy loquat shades the clinker brick pavers, while ivy climbs up the granite walls. In this area, they were expecting to create a very private and Nature cult environment that could be calming and relaxing like a hide-away from the world outside, and for that, they even add a small tank that keeps the water running.

The main goal of this once 1930 house was the socialization given by the open-concept set up between these 3 areas – kitchen, living, and dining room. We can see that even in the kitchen with these mint green cabinets was fitted a breakfast nook for hosting. Friends can simply hang out on the built-in bench or sit on the chairs adjacent. The sofa is upholstered in aqua leather and tropical Lelièvre fabric, while the homeowner cooks with a Smeg oven. Can be also spotted a leopard motif wallpaper, fluted glass cabinets, and bronze hardware complete the room and give it a particular look.

We can see a groovy eggplant-colored stairwell featuring a neon stripe as it directs upstairs leading to the primary bedroom, where blue, orange and beige tones mingle for a soothing result. The ensuite is similarly calm with a travertine sink, trapezoid-shaped tiles, and a spa-style shower. This once 1930s house after such renovation became a Portuguese oasis in all and every sense.