So… we did it! A few weeks ago, we quietly moved from the old rental into our brand spanking beautiful new home in Portugal! YAY! It’s been years in the making, and honestly, we still can’t quite believe we’re in. This isn’t just any home—it’s our dream home in Portugal, built exactly how we wanted it, with so much love and care.
Even though we’re still hooked up to water and electricity from the old rental across the street (yep, still paying for it ourselves!), it already feels completely magical to be living in our beautiful new home in Portugal. From cold showers and a little camping stove to finally having hot water and a functioning kitchen, every little milestone in this dreamy space feels like the biggest win.
The first few days were… bracing. No hot water meant cold showers—really cold showers. I’m talking full body gasping, squealing, “OOOH! AAH! BLOODY HELL!” kind of cold. But you know what? Mind over matter actually works. By day two, I told myself I was under a warm tropical waterfall in the Amazon rainforest, and suddenly it didn’t feel quite so awful. Slightly deranged? Maybe. But it did the trick. Thankfully, the heating guys worked their magic not long after and now—bliss—we have hot water.
We’re not fully there yet. We’re still waiting on our own water and electricity connection (one step at a time), and a few key bits are still in limbo, but we’re living here—in this beautiful new home in Portugal—and that’s the main thing.
The house itself feels magical already. Like it has a spirit of its own. And while it’s not finished, we’ve got almost all the furniture in place—apart from two wooden units we’re buying from a local lady who’s downsizing (we’ve already nabbed a few other beautiful pieces from her). These last two pieces are for my office and I seriously need them, because right now it looks like a bookshop exploded all over the floor.
My office though? FABULOUS. Michael painted it a rich forest green and it looks stunning against the wood-effect floor tiles and white wooden ceiling. The oak desk from the same lady looks incredible next to the deep red striped sofa we inherited from his late stepmother (we’ve been saving that beauty for years). It’s a proper witchy creative den and I adore it—even though every surface is currently buried under books, candles, trinkets, old notebooks, paintings, and goddess knows what else.
I’m also patiently waiting for Michael to get his drill out (you know what I mean!) so we can start putting things up properly. And yes, the electrician still has to finish a few bits and bobs… most of which just happen to be in my office too. Typical.
We’ve got a walk-in wardrobe that we’re so excited about, but right now it’s a bit of a dark little cave because we haven’t sorted out the blind switches yet—and the neighbour at the back has a perfect view in. So we’re getting dressed in the dark like Victorian ghosts until that gets sorted. And don’t even ask about the clothes situation. Until the IKEA wardrobes arrive, we’ve got piles of stuff on any available surface. It’s not Pinterest-pretty, but it works for now.
The kitchen though… oh the kitchen. I’m in love. It’s where I feel the most relaxed—just pottering about, chopping veg, music or TV on in the background. For the first week, we were cooking on a camping stove (glamorous, I know), but once the gas got connected, it was pure joy.
And the pool? Ohhh you’re not ready for this. We’ve gone completely off-piste and skipped the usual blue mosaic tiles. Instead, we’ve got sparkly dark gold mosaics on the bottom and large grey tiles on the sides. When the sun hits it, it looks like something out of a fantasy novel. We’re just waiting for the grout to arrive (I know, thrilling), and then—hello swim season!
Today, the diggers are in the garden flattening out the land and drive. I cannot believe how much space we’ve ended up with—it’s much bigger than I imagined. I’ve got about a million ideas floating around for the garden, and every time I scroll Pinterest or walk past a garden centre, the plan changes completely. But isn’t that half the fun?
We’ve already hosted a couple of dinner parties and sat our guests facing the glorious view… forgetting that the sun sets right there, blinding them in the process. Sunglasses at dinner anyone? Note to self: get blinds for those big windows (even if they are coated, it still gets proper warm in here when the sun’s high!).
Speaking of warmth, I’ve discovered my lovely dark green office gets a bit toastier than the white rooms—which makes sense—but soon I’ll have a luxurious velvet curtain to help with that. We’ve got an electric shutter too, but I don’t want to use it too much. Borrowed electricity and all that!
Tomorrow the carpet’s going in on the stairs (we haven’t gone full carpet—just the staircase). Right now it’s concrete, and not the nicest surface for midnight cat patrols. Can’t wait for that little touch of softness.
Oh, and I mustn’t forget the garage door. Our automatic garage door gives me so much joy, it’s borderline ridiculous. No more jumping out to close it in the rain like some tragic sitcom scene.
I feel so grateful and honestly so proud of Michael, who’s basically made all of this happen with his bare hands (and a few trusty builders). It’s not perfect. There are wires hanging out in places, boxes we still haven’t unpacked, and a wardrobe that’s basically a glorified laundry pile—but I wouldn’t change a thing.
This beautiful new home in Portugal is our forever home (well, for now lol). And it already feels like it has a soul. Maybe even a personality. A bit creaky at times (that wooden roof has a voice of its own), but magical all the same. Kind of like Willow from The Winterbourne Witches, now that I think about it…
We’re so grateful to be living in our beautiful new home in Portugal, even if we’re still surrounded by chaos and cardboard boxes! Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I showed some video footage of the house in my YouTube video last week of you fancy having a look! But I’ll be taking some better—and up-to-date—photos soon so keep an eye out!
