The castellated yellow façade of the house was a key influence in Jacquelyn’s design for the interiors.
Luis Nobre Guedes
Madeira’s spectacular natural landscape and perfect sunny weather may be reason enough to make the Atlantic island an ideal refuge, but for Jacquelyn Scalamera and her husband Rodrigo Gonçalves, it was a second-floor flat in an early 20th-century Moorish-inspired house in the heart of Funchal that proved irresistible. ‘It is a very special building,’ says the interiors stylist. ‘I honestly haven’t seen many houses of this style in Portugal.’
Although Jacquelyn and Rodrigo’s connection to the flat was immediate, the decoration took longer to come together. ‘We had the place for some time but it wasn’t truly liveable,’ Jacquelyn recalls. Then, a major redevelopment of the entire building by local architect Catarina Dantas, including a top-floor extension, provided the occasion. ‘It felt like the right time to give our place new life and love.’
Luis Nobre Guedes
In the main living space, white walls provide a backdrop for a rug by Nordic Knots. and an ottoman covered in Colefax & Fowler’s ‘Hayden’ fabric.Luis Nobre Guedes
Jacquelyn is no stranger to the world of design, having worked as a stylist for Wallpaper* magazine in London before relocating to Portugal, but the project marked a new professional chapter for her, as she took on the interiors herself. ‘I knew it was always going to be me designing it,’ she says. ‘This flat is my first full project, so I was incredibly excited when I started. I had so many ideas and I was starting from scratch, which made it fun and rewarding.’
The opportunity did not come without challenges, such as bringing a lived-in and welcoming atmosphere into what, at the time, was little more than a blank box. ‘Madeira has this sunny, almost year-round climate, so the interiors needed to feel fresh, but also rooted in the Portuguese crafts tradition,’ she explains. ‘The whole architectural shell had been renovated, so the risk was that it could feel brand new.’