CHRISTMAS EVE 2011 EDITION - MAKING BREAD

A number of Portuguese households have wood-fired ovens built in. Making bread at home is something which obviously came out of necessity, but today simply yields the most delicious mouthwatering bread immagineable. The loaves come out piping hot and crunchy, and are delicious with a little salted butter. They keep their freshness for days, contrary to bread out of even the finest bakeries. The ingredients are basic: water, wheat flour, salt and leaven, mixed entirely by hand, pounded by strong arms for about 20 minutes. The result is close to perfection.
Merry Christmas!

STONE SCULPTURE

GATE COVERED IN ZINC

"BURIED IN BLACK AND WHITE"

The January issue of the magazine World of Interiors presents an article by Marie-France Boyer with photos by Eric Morin, about the crypts of São Francisco Monastery,  in Porto.

HANDRAIL

Private House, Rua do Almada, Porto

WOOD GRID PANELS

 

Casa de Mateus, Vila Real. 

"TÚNEL DE CEDROS"

 

"Túnel de Cedros" -  This amazing tunnel made of cedar trees is part of the the gardens of Casa de Mateus, in Vila Real. It was built  in the 1950's.

PERGOLA

Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto

WATER SPOUT

Water spout, public fountain at Covas do Douro, Pinhão

SKYLIGHT

 "Cadeia da Relação", Porto - Inner court skylight

SKYLIGHT - VIEW FROM INSIDE

Private house, Guarda

TILES

Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Sintra

STAIR DETAIL

Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Sintra

ROUND WINDOW

 

Porto, Rua do Heroísmo

TRAIN STATION - FERRÃO

An abandoned train station near Rio Douro

STAIR RAIL

A typical, and very simple, stair rail in iron.

SKYLIGHT - VIEW FROM INSIDE

View of the interior walls of a XIX century typical skylight.  This photo was taken in a house in Rua do Almada, Porto.

SKYLIGHT

 

Porto, Rua de Santo Ildefonso.

LIGHT FIXTURE IN CERAMIC

Porto, Rua do Almada, Private House

BATHROOM WINDOW

Private House, Rua do Almada, Porto

Inside one of the washrooms. Most bathrooms in 18th c. townhouses in Porto were tiny rooms added to the basic rectangular footprint of the house, facing the backyard, and built of stone like the rest of the house.

DOOR KNOB IN WOOD AND METAL

Private house, Rua do Almada, Porto

FAUCET

Church of São Bento da Vitória, Porto

CEILING MOLDING

 

Private House, Rua do Almada, Porto 

A piece of ceiling that fell to the ground.

TILES

Church of São Bento da Vitória, Porto

DOOR

Forte de São João Baptista das Berlengas, Berlengas

PORCH

Private Residence, Batalha

Most of what is seen in the photo is relatively recent construction added on to an old house. The columns came from the stone workshop in Batalha, where new pieces are made every time a replacement is needed at the famed monastery.

BIG HAY BARN

Hay Barn, Batalha

These hay barns used to populate the Centre West area of Portugal. Literally called "Big Hay Barns" - palheirões - they are like proto greek temples in their configuration and formal simplicity, derived almost solely from funcion. Besides the side piers and the timber roof structure, they harbour grid-like wooden structures which are used to keep the straw bales bound together. The open construction allowed for both ventilation and protection from the rain.
The proportions are also simple and logical: roof pitch is close to a golden section ratio, and the piers are as tall as the roof. On the sides, the space between the piers is as wide as it is tall (minus the overhang of the roof).
Now that no one stacks hay anymore, they are mostly used as tool sheds, garages, stables or poultries, etc, and most times the walls are filled in - this example is one of the rare few who kept its purity of form.

PEDESTAL SINK

Casa de Serralves, Porto

The Casa de Serralves has the appeal of being a coutry house entirely done in the Art Deco/ Moderne style, as opposed to the more prevalent apartment renovations of the period. Now turned into an art museum, it is unfortunately stripped of most of its original furniture, some of which came from the ateliers of Ruhlmann in Paris. This lavatory's design origins are unknown; the great Porto Beaux-Arts architect Marques da Silva had worked on the project as well.

SKYLIGHT

Typical skylight, Porto

One of the ubiquitous stairwell lanterns that punctuate the city's skyline, this one has an ornate crest with a colored glass ball. The background belongs to another ubiquitous sight, the infamous corrugated aluminum siding used for the sides of speculative apartment buildings in the 80s.

ROOF DETAIL

Ventilation Tile, Batalha