There are projects that spring from improbable encounters but end up becoming inevitable narratives. Quinta da Princesa is one such case. This is more than a renovation; it is a project built upon a relationship between architect, client and place. The saying proves true: “with good clients, only good projects can emerge”, but there is a unique detail here: years earlier, the studio of architect António Costa Lima had already visualised this building through a watercolour he himself had once painted. And it was this very act that led him to the current owner and to the beginning of this story, now come to fruition.

Set high above a valley in Sintra, with unobstructed views right out to sea, the house dates back to the early 19th century, when the town was gaining renown as the epicentre of Romanticism. It is said that King Fernando II once lived there, surrounded by exotic gardens and a landscape designed as a retreat. The neglect of recent decades, however, has left deep scars: invasive vegetation, a deteriorated roof and interiors bereft of character. Over four years, the process focused not merely on reconstruction, but on understanding and respecting the passage of time.