By: Gabriella King
Published on: February 12, 2026
In addition to last month’s article, there are many properties with a lot of traditional charm of the Algarve, retrieved from ruins that managed to keep through time its original purposes into the modern-day Algarve home user.
Designers are thriving to offer a clean, easy-to-maintain design, whilst being able to respect the features that came with a property their client fell in love with.
Many houses hold a strong story, which can be woven into the design’s selections. In respecting a story, a soul is thus given to the property within its own planning.
With modern materials, insulation problems that once made these traditional home cold and damp, can now be accommodated to remove all previous construction issues, whilst keeping the comfort of a Quinta or Casa de Campo.
One of the most charming and recognisable features of the traditional Algarve home is the so-well protected traditional façade.
With the edges of window openings knowingly adorned with the beautifully aging limestones. Throughout it’s life, these stone edges naturally change colour and acquire weathering of age.
Whilst some are better maintained than other, many home renovation clients decide to keep te original stone in the exact condition in which the property was bought. It is a direct message to the houses themselves to tell their own story within the new and repaired.
It is often also seen in the chimney tops and the stones of the windows, engravings with dates or the old purpose of the build.
This kind of irreplaceable piece can give the finishing touches of an architecture project unique to each home.
The ‘Aboboda‘ vaulted ceiling of the traditional Olhão home makes for the lower floors of these town houses to be much taller than the second floor as there are the supportive concealing beams within the walls.
This original feature is one that can add a lot of character to a home renovation.
Fitted with smart lighting the house can be brought into a contemporary style whilst allowing to upgrade the building into the standards of a modern-day home. In newer designs, the ceilings can be ornate with contemporary brickwork to give it a whole new dimension.
In the theme of featured ceilings, other traditional builds have converted animal shelters into a new usable closed space for their home renovation, they often offer great wooden beams which can be integrated into the new design as a focal point.
These charming little structures often have beautiful stonework that make up the walls. If properly repaired and isolated, some of the original stonework can be left visible to offer a rustic finish with very unique features within a home.
In my designs, I tend to suggest going a step further with these spaces, by creating usable fixed furniture such as wardrobes made in masonry, which will keep the theme of a traditional build.
For other town house such as those in the historic centre of Tavira, we can see very unique shapes and sizes dotted on the hill leading to the old castle walls.
When these little homes were built, they often were composed of very small rooms inside to preserve heat in the winter and offer shade in the warmer months.
Nowadays, these small spaces are difficult to furnish for all the essentials needed to have a comfortable lifestyle. It is possible to create wonderful projects to make the interior more spacious, whilst keeping the exterior appeal equal to the initial topography. Entering an unexpected interior can facilitate the usage of these beautiful old buildings.
If you are looking to elevate your space with a traditional but contemporary renovation, I can help you find the best solutions.
