Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent revive 400-year-old Portuguese ruin

When Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent acquired their 400-year-old farm in Portugal, they didn't just buy a property; they inherited a ruin. For Brent, whose heritage is Portuguese, the project represents an intrinsic connection to a deeper vibration and a fulfillment of his mother's lifelong dream to return to her homeland. The couple focused on nurturing the land first, restoring intricate water channels that serve as the property's veins. This commitment to the soil creates a multigenerational sanctuary where three generations now live together, proving that a home’s spirit is often rooted more in its landscape than its walls.

Transforming animal quarters into refined living spaces

In traditional Portuguese farm architecture, animals occupied the ground floor while humans lived above. Berkus and Brent honored this history while radically reimagining the function of these spaces. The current kitchen, described as the heartbeat of the home, once served as a milking station for livestock. Rather than erasing the past, the designers preserved original elements like the stone floors and hand-scraped wooden doors. Local craftsmen used traditional methods, even burning centuries of paint off original wood with torches to reveal the raw material beneath. This juxtaposition of the "gross" agricultural past with high-design elements—like Robert Mallet-Stevens chairs from 1930—defines the home's unique aesthetic.

Design as an evolving family installation

Inside the main house, the design duo treats interior decoration as a living installation. Their children, Poppy Brent-Berkus and Oscar Brent-Berkus, have been given full agency over their environments, revealing a burgeoning sense of taste that occasionally clashes with their famous parents. While Berkus and Brent lean toward curated antiques, their daughter Poppy prefers "crusty" Louis XVI styles and claims her parents have no taste. Meanwhile, Oscar’s room is a maximalist’s dream, blending cloud-motif wallpaper with Lego installations and gold chocolate coins. This willingness to let children dictate their own aesthetic boundaries ensures the home feels like a true extension of the family's personality rather than a static showroom.

The art of living in the center of nowhere

Life on the farm is dictated by the "body clock" and the sounds of nature. The couple maintains a scent garden along a path known as Lover's Lane and keeps a watchful eye on a menagerie that includes peacocks, sheep, and goats. Even the pool is a repurposed old well, maintaining the property’s historical water management system. By using local marble for bathrooms and preserving 400-year-old portraits of the original farm owners, Berkus and Brent have created a space that prioritizes the art of living over the pursuit of perfection. It is a rowdy, late-night dinner party house that finds its beauty in the imperfect, the local, and the ancestral.