I have been on a bit of a break from the blog, not because i haven’t wanted to blog, it’s just been an extraordinary busy time. Well, i’m back at it and i’m feeling very inspired. sometimes a pause can create a new energy and bring a new perspective.

As you all know i’m a huge fan of john yunis’ instagram. He takes us on these spectacular tours of the most amazing homes in the world. Here is a tour of quinta patino in estoril, portugal. the home of of tin magnate antenor patino and his wife beatrize.

the arid land for the home was bought sometime in 1950’s and the home in all of its glory was finished being built in 1969. of course i’m taken with this home. the home over the years has been published in an array of magazines, architectural digest and the world of interiors to name a few. personally i love all the blue and white Portuguese tiles throughout. the details, the finishes, the furnishings and those gardens are breathtaking. 

the home is set in a valley surrounded by hills covered with orchards and olive groves and flower–filled terraces rising to the quinta. The estate is a glorious melange of the house proper- a separate villa for the Patiño grandchildren; a magnificent, walled, Portuguese–tiled swimming pool; a dining pavilion; a huge grotto under the terrace for dancing and late night supper; a bowling alley done in the Manuelin (16th century Portuguese) style; a Patiño-made lake; stables; a dairy; vineyards; tennis courts; a complex of greenhouses and cutting gardens, and a 16th century chapel brought stone by stone from a north Portuguese village and set up on the grounds. 

thank you yet again john for another breathtaking and inspiring tour. I just can’t imagine what it would take to live like this, but i’m sure we would all like to try.