Look inside: This Lisbon penthouse just got a complete makeover. “The expensive was not the norm.” | Nina

Mystic had been outdoing herself for a while. So family and friends advised her not to think of her clients, but to think of herself for a while. She took the advice and started looking for a place in the city to settle down.

“I only had two requirements. I absolutely wanted to live on the site of the 1998 World Expo, because the location is great: in a quiet area, yet close to the city center and main roads. A balcony was also a must. This seems obvious, but only five percent of The apartments here have one. When I saw this penthouse ad, I didn’t hesitate for a long time.”

The apartment with a terrace of 70m2 was in perfect condition and An-Sofie loved the interior decoration. “I was able to move in immediately and just wanted to replace the balcony floor. But the longer I started to think, the more I felt like making a complete makeover. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to furnish my dream apartment with my dream furnishings? Together with my good friend Mario Gomez, who is Interior designer, I started to make the wildest plans.

The renovation adventure lasted for a year. “It was a great time when I became passionate about interior design. I traveled with Mario all over Portugal to find craftsmen who consider every task a matter of honor. They made almost all of my furniture and accessories: bed, bench, pillows and curtains…”

The result is a penthouse finished to perfection. Several major brands are represented in this prestige abode: lamps by Italia Design, faucets by Axor, switches by Buster + Punch, plaids by Sá Aranha e Vasconcelos… “Expensive was definitely not the norm,” confirms An. -Sofie. “I like to combine design with affordable things. For example, almost all of the cabinets come from an IKEA dressing room. I styled them with built-in lighting, wallpaper on the back wall, and other door handles.”

Nothing was overlooked in the decoration of the porch, which is actually an extra living space. Annoying items, such as the air conditioner, are discreetly hidden. “I wasn’t always the easiest, but I knew what I wanted and I stood my ground. I’m glad I did, because now the apartment is one hundred percent thing. It’s more beautiful than I ever dared to imagine. I look back on this renovation adventure with great satisfaction, because it helped me conquer My dive. Since I live in my penthouse, I can face the world again.”

The bedroom, followed by a glass box with a fully finished white marble bathroom, exudes the ambience of a luxury hotel. The high ceiling natural stone panels are impressive. “I haven’t found a quarry in Portugal that can transport such large pieces. I went to Ibiza to buy white marble for the bathroom and even went to Kuwait to get black marble for the 3.5-meter-high bedroom wall.” A gas fireplace is built into the black wall, something they didn’t know about here. A TV screen that rolls down from the ceiling.

An-Sofie fell in love with the 70 square meter terrace. She set up a bespoke outdoor kitchen, a lounge corner and several green areas with exotic plants. Furniture found at Exterioo and Buitenhof. Along with the bronze artworks of her father Freddie, who works under the stage name MaRf, they were trucked in from Belgium.

The table is made from a half-ton piece of teak that An-Sofie brought from Bali. Another eye-catcher in the dining room is the 3.6-meter-high mirror made of smoked glass. It gives an extra dimension to the space, makes it appear much wider than it is, and creates the impression that the library continues all around. “The first two mirrors were shattered. A construction crane was even used to lift the object.” Gold and metallic accents give the cabin an elegant look.

Self-designed things give personality. The coffee tables come from an olive tree sawn in half. An-Sofie created the chair based on a model by Minotti. The cushions in them are all different in size, texture and colour. The inscription is from Sá Aranha e Vasconcelos. The living room is not very spacious, but the many horizontal lines draw attention to the depth of the space. Also note the black stripes on the roof that replace the classic air-conditioning grilles.

1. Keep up with the trend
The wood of the tables inside returns to the top of the garden table. This set from Vincent Sheppard’s Wicked collection, with its round shape and black base, perfectly responds to one of the trends of the moment.
Garden table across exzit.be1,898 euros (200 x 90 cm).

2. Keep it simple
The lamp group above the dining table is inspired by Round by Tom Dixon. A hole has been made in the ceiling for each lamp. If you find it’s a little hard work or a lot of work, this model with four cables on one platform is a good alternative.
Headlight group across bol.com94 euros.

3. Just real
Even if no renovation is planned or you don’t have the budget for it, you can still easily incorporate marble into your home. In other words: a digital image of marble printed on wallpaper.
across the wall mural background15.95 euros per square metre.

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