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The LUX MARE Story

The passion: A serious love affair with the Algarve.

What do we look for when we travel? New experiences and discovering the unknown – excitement and butterflies. But even the most restless souls often seek a sense of peace, fullness, and finally being at one with the world.

When we discover a refuge that provides this harmony, we tend to want to stay. To lose ourselves in it. Meditate. Enjoy the moment. The LUX MARE story began when a Norwegian couple set off on an unceasing quest for charm and dazzle during their trips through Portugal. A quest that would last several decades.

Both free spirits passionate about outdoor activities, wild nature, and the vast blue sea, the narrative of this love grew until it was reflected back at the couple in the idyllic waters that bathe the Algarve.

LUX MARE emerges from a very strong emotional connection with the Portuguese and with the people of the Algarve, specifically. Cultural heritage, natural beauty, arts and cuisine. This is the complete, privileged way to get to know the Algarve. One that the hosts have the pleasure of sharing with you.

Because living the dream is possible.

“The villas nestle up to each other and fit snugly on the land. Only the horizontal glass lines are seen, framing a succession of views that are modified into an almost perfect symbiosis: the surrounding green, the contours of the cliff, the immensity of the sea and, then, the sky.”

– Mário Martins, Architect –

VILLAS THAT EMBRACE THE INFINITE

Is it possible to dialogue with the house in which we live? Of course, it is. The LUX MARE villas (Casa L and Casa M) talk to us in a very specific dialect: a language of light and shapes that are simultaneously fuelled by Northern European aesthetics and the heat of the Algarve.

The relationship with the community has been a fundamental part of the architectural plan right from the start, and that is why they wish to use local raw materials and suppliers perfectly suited to the creative and environmental vision of local architect Mário Martins.

Sustainability and the houses’ subtle setting on the slope are the alma mater of the two villas – two continents adrift, albeit aware of their anchor in an immense sea of light, which come together then push apart without ever really moving at all, like an elegant dance in the wild.

Casa M, located closer to the sea and lower on the land, is submerged by the surrounding garden – the roof is landscaped so that Casa L, which lies further back, may benefit from an endless view. The elegant lines, simplicity of the white walls and materials such as wood and glass create a perfect energetic balance. This forms the concept, determining a sense of harmony with the surrounding environment.

Green and blue spread as far as the eye can see – the sky and the Atlantic – transforming the simple experience of being into a breath-taking, unforgettable occurrence.

Mário Martins, architet

Mário Martins

Architect

An architect who knows and understands the soul of the Algarve and has turned his vision of sea and light into reality.

Mário Martins was born in Lagos, a city where he has been implementing his brand of contemporary architecture. Employing his creativity to do so, he seeks to respect people and places, past and present, always considering balance and sustainability.

Mário’s company – Mário Martins Atelier – takes on a diverse range of construction and rehabilitation projects, from public works to private dwellings. Thanks to his work done to date, Mário has gained renown as a notable figure in contemporary Algarve architecture. His projects have been widely shared and have gained international awards; their concepts echoed in the current challenges of thinking architecture.

In recent years, he has published several books containing selected works, which have been in particular: “Houses Mário Martins” (2011), “Mário Martins 1 + 1” (2012) and “Mário Martins – Projects” (2015).

João Mariano, creative

João Mariano

Creative

A personal, subjective approach that reveals details, sensations, forms, and emotions that further accentuate the elegance of the project.

Having built a prosperous, diversified career in photography, João Mariano is Algarve born and raised, and his work is shaped by the people and culture of the Costa Vicentina, which he calls his “laboratory of emotions”. It is this region that inspires him the most and awakes the creativity in his eyes. It’s his atelier. As a result of this profound connection, he has published several books that celebrate the traditions, knowledge of the land and the sea, as well as the landscape and the existence of the southwestern Algarve.

A photographer and publisher, he lives between Lisbon and Aljezur, the village where, together with his wife, he founded the image and communication agency 1000olhos.

F Guerra

Fernando Guerra

Photographer

Capturing the architectural essence of LUX MARE was a challenge posed to Fernando Guerra, an acclaimed architectural photographer.

Born in Lisbon, Fernando Guerra graduated in Architecture, having gained some years of experience in Macau. It would be in architecture photography, however, that he would come to follow a pioneering course. In collaboration with his brother, he created the studio FG + SG, which is responsible for publicising a significant amount of contemporary Portuguese architecture in recent decades.

Fernando Guerra’s gaze is, thus, twofold: that of the photographer who speaks the same language as the subjects he photographs. As if constructing — or reconstructing — what has been built. His works have been published in the most prestigious architectural magazines, and as a photographer, he has collaborated with renowned Portuguese and international architects.

Bimering

Bimering Spaces

Photography and Videography

Bimering Spaces specialises in providing photo and video footage for high-end residential, real estate, architecture, and interior design.
Combining the most advanced equipment and techniques, they produce realistic yet gorgeous artistic images.
LUX MARE’s villas are stunning and luxurious, and so the photos and videos produced had to convey that same feeling.

Luis

Luis Bujalance

Artist

Bujalance inhabits LUX MARE through his paintings — in fact, Casa M contains the largest private collection of the artist’s work.

Born in Malaga, Spain, Luis Bujalance is an artist whose work is largely inspired by nature as a way of forming connections. His paintings and installations invite us to take a deeper look while hearing and feeling their resemblance to nature, even when surrounded by another environment. It’s this journey of the senses that defines LUX MARE’s relationship with Bujalance’s paintings. His pieces bring a dimension of strength and profoundness to the architectural elements, creating a place where nature embarks on a new journey.