In the picturesque fishing hamlet of Santa Caterina in Nardò, located in Puglia's Salento region, architect Eugenio Minerva has transformed a modest 1970s house into a stunning seaside retreat that pays homage to the sea itself. The 32-year-old architect's childhood fascination with his grandfather's tool shed sparked a lifelong passion for architecture that would eventually lead to this remarkable renovation project.
Minerva's grandfather, Otello, was a master mason who enjoyed crafting models from local stone. "My grandfather was a master mason and he enjoyed making models out of local stone," Minerva recalls. "I was always attracted to what he did and the environment in which he worked, so much so that I started to dabble as well. My passion for architecture was born from these moments of play."
After earning an architecture degree from the University of Venice IUAV and gaining experience in California, Minerva returned to his hometown in the 1990s to undertake an ambitious renovation. His parents had purchased the small 1970s property years earlier, and Minerva saw it as the perfect canvas for his vision. The two-year renovation project was completed in 2021, resulting in what is now affectionately known as Casa Porthole.
The house takes its distinctive name from the giant porthole window on the first floor, which Minerva conceived, designed, and installed himself. Positioned on the seafront overlooking the tranquil Ionian coastline, this circular window serves as both the home's signature feature and its philosophical centerpiece. "It is the emblem of the house," Minerva explains. "In all my projects there is always a main element. With Casa Porthole, I wanted to bring the culture of the sea into the house, to remove as much distance from it as possible."
The porthole window functions like a telescope, featuring elementary geometry that evokes the maritime environment. Located in what Minerva describes as "the most hidden place in the house, the most silent," it serves as his personal think tank. "It is in the most hidden place in the house, the most silent – it is my think tank," he notes.
The renovation involved a complete remodeling of the interiors and the addition of a second-floor extension, creating a compact yet fully equipped one-bedroom dwelling with a distinctly minimalist sensibility. To maximize the limited space, Minerva employed smart design solutions, beginning with arranging the living spaces on split levels. The main living area features an open-plan design combining living and dining spaces, with a raised level accommodating the built-in oak kitchen.
The kitchen showcases what Minerva describes as "a walnut travertine monolith island," reflecting his preference for natural materials. "I love living materials," he emphasizes. Behind the kitchen, a central staircase carved from a single piece of stone leads to the bedroom, which features the iconic porthole window and an island bed of Minerva's own design.
The compact ensuite bathroom demonstrates Minerva's maritime inspiration, designed to feel "as if we were in a small boat." The space is clad entirely in white resin with carefully selected material details, including a shower tray made of teak slats and an oak ceiling. This compression of space creates an intimate, ship-like atmosphere that reinforces the home's nautical theme.
Verticality was a primary objective throughout the design process. "Vertical development was a key element of the project," Minerva explains. "The desire was to go higher and higher, to observe, as if the dwelling were a coastal tower." This upward focus culminates in a wraparound terrace that offers sweeping views across the rocky coastline, largely unchanged since Minerva's childhood, where fishing boats continue to bob on the sea as they have for generations.
The experience of moving through Casa Porthole is carefully orchestrated. "Come into this house and you experience this sense of moving between levels and light – an ascent between stairs of different materials, lights, compressions and design, to reach the summit and enjoy the sea," Minerva describes.
The home's aesthetic draws inspiration from its marine environment and the relaxed character of the local coastline, with its rocky enclaves and peaceful sandy beaches. This approach contrasts with the elaborate Baroque architecture for which the old town of Nardò is famous. "The geometry is dictated by the orography of this landscape and by an integration of simple volumes that create different environments through compressions and decompressions," Minerva explains, describing how room sizes and color choices reflect the mountainous landscape.
The interior palette centers on whitewashed walls, a hallmark of coastal Italian homes, complemented by resin floors softened with occasional jute rugs. The navy blue kitchen, featuring patterned tile flooring by Bisazza, provides the primary color accent in an otherwise neutral scheme. "The palette is not just a mere aesthetic gesture, it's much more than that," Minerva notes. "There are spaces – the kitchen, the living space and so on – that have the function of balancing our mood, and rooms that need to be darkened to frame the outside, to give the idea of compression."
The furnishings reflect a thoughtful blend of personal and professional aesthetics. Minerva's carefully curated belongings include books arranged on a custom-designed bookshelf, ceramics by local Pugliese company Colì, and a portrait by an artist friend. These personal items mix harmoniously with iconic Italian design pieces, including lighting fixtures by Flos, Foscarini, and Artemide, alongside more accessible pieces from Ikea and Zara Home.
For Minerva, who has lived in Casa Porthole for three years, the home's character is fundamentally shaped by its relationship with the sea. "The mood here is completely dictated by Nardò's life-source for centuries, the sea," he observes. "The house changes according to the sea and by the changing light, the reflections, the sounds. It becomes more important to observe than to live, this is what I like."
Minerva envisions Casa Porthole as an evolving space that adapts to its inhabitants. "It's as if it were a house always under construction, where those who live in it make it their own, through objects brought from their various travels, passions and family – a sort of hard disk in contemporary terms," he explains. This philosophy reflects his belief that the home should serve as both a personal sanctuary and a living canvas that continues to develop alongside the lives it shelters, always maintaining its essential connection to the timeless rhythms of the sea.
