A home that belongs to the hill
Yuna wasn’t designed to stand out. It was designed to settle in. Two design holiday homes near Viana do Castelo, with soft tones that match the stone, wide windows that pull nature inside, and spaces that feel calm from the moment you arrive.
WHERE YUNA IS
Between forest and ocean
Yuna sits on a sunny hillside near Viana do Castelo in Northern Portugal, with the forest at your back and the Atlantic out front. You’re close to the beach and the city, but once you’re here, it feels quiet. No busy roads. No crowds. Just space, air, and light.
WHY WE BUILT THIS WAY
Not a white modern box
We didn’t want a house that feels perfect but empty. We wanted something that blends into the hill. Soft colours, natural materials, and glass doors that disappear. A place where you can sit inside with the sun on your face, hear the Atlantic in the background, and shower with rain falling on the roof above you.
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At Yuna, you don’t step away from nature, you live right next to it. Even indoors.
BUILD FOR TALL PEOPLE
Build for tall guests
Dirk is two metres tall, so we know the “tall travel problem” all too well. On many holidays, finding a bed he actually fit in, or a shower he could stand under, was harder than it should be. Sometimes the shower head barely reached his chest, and cooking meant bending over a kitchen counter made for someone much shorter. That’s not comfort, and it’s not what a holiday should feel like.
So we designed Yuna differently: extra-long beds, higher kitchen counters, roomy showers and wide passages. Simple choices that turn a stay into real comfort, especially if you’re tall.
INSIDE OUTSIDE LIVING
Open the doors, let the day in
At Yuna, the best moments happen with the doors wide open. Breakfast in the sun. A long lunch that turns into a swim. Sunset colours on the terrace. Even inside, it still feels like you’re outside.
Thinking about building your own place in Portugal?
If Yuna sparked something — we get it. Whether you’re looking for land, a ruin, or you just don’t know where to start, send us a message. We’re happy to share what we’ve learned.
A NATURAL GARDEN
Wild, local, alive
We used stones from the build to shape the terraces and paths, letting the garden grow around the houses rather than forcing it into shape. Inspired by Piet Oudolf, we chose grasses, seasonal plants and a softer, more natural look, never too neat, always alive.
Between the terraces you’ll find olive trees, local plants, and little corners where nature is free to do its thing. On windy days the grasses move like waves, and the garden slowly fades into the hillside above, as if it has always been part of it.
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We didn’t plant a garden. We gave nature a place to return.
TWO HOUSES ONE PLACE
Yuna One & Yuna Two
Yuna is two separate holiday homes on one piece of land. Yuna One sits higher up, with a rooftop terrace and a private saltwater pool. Yuna Two lies slightly lower, with a private garden, an outdoor shower and an outdoor bath under the olive tree, everything on one easy level.