UNVEILING HER STYLISH PORTUGUESE HIDEAWAY FILIPA DE ABREU THE FASHION AND INTERIORS EXPERT IN HARMONY AT HOME

A long a vast white beach lapped by the Atlantic Ocean, amid sand dunes, pine forests and rice paddies, lies Comporta, a picturesque fishing village turned exclusive Portuguese paradise.

-  CRISTINA OLIVAR

Here, a host of big names from the creative fields – united by a passion for nature at its purest – have built holiday homes that are in perfect harmony with their surroundings.

This is where fashion and interiors consultant Filipa de Abreu and her husband Antonio Ribeiro da Cunha come to spend quality time with their blended family of five.

Antonio, the director of a property investment firm, acquired their hideaway, Casa Branca, eight years ago, before meeting Filipa – but she has added her own unique touches, she explains, as she teams up with her 18-year-old daughter Maria to show us its charms.

Filipa, how long have you been visiting Comporta? 

“I’ve been coming for 14 years and Antonio has been visiting since he was very young.” 

What makes this one of the most soughtafter European destinations? “I think what first attracted people was its simplicity and tranquillity. It is so easy to get here, yet you really felt you were discovering a magical place that few people knew about.

“Today, although Comporta is still magical, it is no longer a secret and there are both positive and negative sides to that. Some of the construction projects here are wonderful, others not so much.”

What made you fall in love with this house? 

“I didn’t fall in love with the house – I fell in love with its owner, my husband. In fact, it was very sparsely decorated. Antonio and his two sons needed a woman to give it a makeover and to tidy it up!