James Andrew at Casa Serralves
After a fine breakfast at our fabulous hotel Pestana Palacio do Freixo, with the able assistance of the attentive staff we were off for another day’s adventure.
While we’ve been exploring many of the classic mansions and palaces of Portugal we were interested to see a rare modernest example, namely the Casa Serralve located on the outskirts of Porto. It’s an utterly beautiful classicist masterpiece with hints of Deco and gardens influenced by 16th and 17th French formal designs. The estate which included a working farm, was commissioned by the 2nd Count of Vizela Carlos Alberto Cabral.
Casa Serralves, Porto
Casa Serralves, Porto
Casa Serralves, Porto
Casa Cerralves, Porto
Cabral was so impressed by the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in Paris that he hired a whole team of French Architects and designers to work on the project — primarily French Architect Charles Siclis with the help of Jose Marques da Silva. The Interiors were designed by Jacques Emile Ruhlman, Rene Lalique, Edgar Brandt, Ivan da SIlva Bruhns, Jules Leleu, Jean Parzel and Raymond Subes.
Casa Serralves, Porto
Casa Cerralves, Porto
Sadly all the furniture is gone, yet one can still get a sense of what this house once was, no doubt reminiscent of the grand salons aboard legendary ocean liners like the Normandie. We were so taken with the place that we actually came back after lunch at the superb restaurant Cafeina, to soak in a few more moments of the impossibly beautiful place.
After Casa Serralves, we dashed back to town to catch up with a few super chic Porto based friends. Later we were treated to the most divine dinner at the Pestana Palacio do Freixo’s Palatium Restaurant — a veritable feast with wine pairings was the most fantastic celebration before leaving Porto — we will definitely need to return and spend more time there with so much more to see!
Pestana Palacio do Freixo, Porto
I’m captured (top) at the sublime Casa Serralves, sporting a Tom Ford ivory cotton/cashmere corduroy jacket, charcoal wool cashmere pant and black and white silk pocket square, Tom Ford era Gucci red cashmere turtleneck sweater and black suede loafers, vintage Rolex, Tom Ford Bronzing Gel for a sun kissed glow and my fragrance is Creed Windsor.