Our History
Caption: Our shadows, the Griffo’s first summer.
Alt text: “Reflections of the Quinta do Griffo owners in the pool, Sintra, Portugal.”
When a carreer isn’t enough
Like us, perhaps you’ve had enough of a “successful” career that no longer feels fulfilling.
We wanted a challenge that matched our scale — beyond our demanding yet increasingly hollow legal paths.
Not to drop everything (with children, that’s not so simple), but to live and build differently — together.
Some people set off around the world with a backpack.
For us, it was the same urge — but driven by a fierce desire to bring the old back to life, to play our part in the preservation of heritage.
Meeting the Griffo
It all began in 2015, when our search for a place to restore led us to Eugaria, a small, untouched hamlet near Sintra.
We had seen plenty of houses, without much conviction.
Then, turning onto the narrow stone road down to Colares, we saw it — a terraced slope, an open view, a modest façade.
We knew instantly: this was the one.
“Restoring a place isn’t about giving it back its past, but offering it a future.”
Bringing the Quinta back to life
We entrusted the renovation to architect José Adrião, with one clear rule: modernise without betraying.
The challenge was serious — to respect the strict UNESCO protection rules while making the house truly livable.
We had to rethink the volumes, replant the garden, work with local craftsmen, and learn the rhythm of the climate and the materials.
A demanding process, but one that reshaped us as much as we reshaped the house.
What came next
Today, Quinta do Griffo lives again — simple, welcoming, and rooted.
In the Making Of, we share what it really means to restore, manage, and keep a place alive, especially when you live abroad.
And now, we help others bring their own Griffo to life here in Portugal — a country of remarkable beauty, where every project demands both precision and heart.
Explore
Fast track to the whole ecosystem: news, special deals, guides…
Stay
Book your stay — a heritage home between Sintra’s forest and the Atlantic.
Making of
Discover the magazine that narrates the restoration of the Griffo.