Sleek Modern Living Rooms

A bright, modern living area opens onto the porch.

An Arco floor lamp from Flos arches over a Bend sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia. A pair of Low Pad chairs by Jasper Morrison and a Sunset chair by Christophe Pillet, all for Cappellini, are arranged around a set of Pebble coffee tables by Ligne Roset.

“Using white allowed me to lighten up small interior spaces and at the same time respect the original colors of the carpentry and stucco work,” Rocha says. East-facing windows also catch the warm morning sun and minimize the need for artificial lighting.

A sunken seating area by Bill Cleyndert & Company is nestled in the heart of the living room. Occupants congregate there, surrounded by custom joinery, upholstery, and a polished concrete floor. From this vantage point, they can admire the fireplace inserted in the building’s brick wall.

In the living room are a sectional by American Leather for Room & Board, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, and a custom floor lamp and coffee table by Jeremy Clark and Ed Haynes.

In keeping with the island’s rugged character, the new home was pared down to the essentials. Even the floor in the living room, elevated during the construction process to give seated guests sight lines of the coast, helped frame the outdoors. With this philosophy in mind, Vieira da Silva sourced and designed simple, light furniture, such as the custom bookshelves made from “criptoméria," a type of Japanese wood planted in the Azores for construction. The floor lamp, a Sampei model by Davide Groppi, is set above a Lamino Easy Chair by Swedese. Both the sofa and table are also Swedese.