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A CRAVING FOR A MORE SIMPLE, AUTHENTIC LIFE BROUGHT INTERIOR DESIGNER JOURNALIST, STYLIST AND AUTHOR SERGIO DA SILVA FULL CIRCLE FROM PARIS AND LISBON BACK TO HIS ROOTS IN OLH Ă O

Words: DEBBIE REYNOLDS

DURING THE summer holidays in the Algarve, when almost everyone was on the beach or hiding from the sun, the backstreets of Olhão were almost deserted the afternoon I discovered Casa Sergio, an unassuming little store nestled somewhere between a chicken snack bar and Kozii on Rua Teofilo Braga. If it wasn’t for the man striding up to meet me, I might easily have missed it. Dressed in the typical southern Algarve summer ‘uniform’ of shorts and T-shirt, Sergio da Silva seems to have easily slotted back into the laid-back lifestyle of his youth.

He was just four years old when his parents moved the family to Paris in the early 1970s to escape the authoritarian Salazar regime. “They wanted a better life for our family – my two sisters, brother and me,” he explains with a clear French accent. “Of course,” he laughs, “I went to school in Paris, so all my studies were in French, but there was a rule that we had to speak Portuguese with our parents, and we studied Portuguese twice a week at a private school.”

After finishing school, Sergio’s first choice was to study accounting, but a summer job in an interior design shop put paid to that notion.

“I realised that, no, accounting definitely wasn’t for me, so when the owner of the shop said I could stay, my mind was made up.” The 18-year-old gobbled up the experience, moving on to work in various interior design and fashion shops, including the famed Le Bon Marche department store.

“One day the manager of the interior design shop I was working at told me that Elle France magazine was looking for a lifestyle and styling assistant and I should give it a try,” explains Sergio. “The deal was originally for one year, but I ended up staying for 21 years, working mostly in the areas of design, food, travel and styling. It was a wonderful time, meeting so many amazing people – photographers, handcrafters, designers, architects and visionaries.

“I travelled a lot in France and Europe, reporting on new hotels and restaurants, tracking trends, interviewing top designers, going to fairs and exhibitions – I loved everything about it.

“But being a weekly magazine, the job was very pressurized and demanding, and while I loved my job, it came time for me to reconnect with my roots.”

The next steps

At the end of 2018, Sergio moved to Lisbon and found a fresh, exciting city of mixed cultures, renewal and regeneration. He worked there for three years with two interior designer friends, while also consulting for the acclaimed Maison & Objet Paris fair.

Then came one of his crowning moments, researching and writing a book about Portugal’s new design ethos. Portugal Art de Vivre et Creations (Portugal Art of Living and Creations) showcases beautiful interiors and unique artisans from the North to the South. There are interviews with cork, carpet and ceramic designers, visits to farmhouses, villas, rural getaways and even a peek into the opulent Lisbon pieda-terre of famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin.

“I have been proud of all my life, but I love this book, because I met so many interesting and lovely Portuguese people doing beautiful things – it’s a new vision about Portugal now, including the contemporary shift but also celebrating our heritage.”

It was this experience that confirmed his desire to escape the big city life. “The pandemic changed a lot of things, including my urge to go home to Olhão, where my parents live. So, in 2022 I bought myself a little house near the church, renovated it and then thought about what I was going to do with my life.”

SERGIO’ S FAVOURITE THINGS

BEACHES: Barril and Ilha da Culatra

PLACES: Santa Luzia and Pinheiro

RESTAURANTS: Ta Pronto (a little traditional tasca in the market), A Do Fernando (for traditional Portuguese and good fish) and Cha Cha Cha (for the little twist) – all in Olhão, and Os Fialhos for great seafood in Pinheiro.

ICE CREAM: São Gelados – I love it!

SHOPPING: The Olhão market

He considered trying something in the tourism industry or maybe even interior design, but it was seeing the little empty store for rent in Olhão’s old town that cemented his future.

“I loved the place, which had once been a bakery and then an office, and I could see myself there, opening my own design store,” explains Sergio. Six months later, on 1 June 2023, Casa Sergio opened its doors.

“My inspiration was doing the store like I would do my own home, with pieces that I would want in my house. It’s not possible for me to sell things I don’t like,” he laughs. “I like a more modern simple, minimal styling and natural, pure materials mixed with vintage pieces –like traditional ceramics, textiles and carpets.

“I try to have mostly Portuguese design and produce, but I am also open to the world. For example, I have ecological handmade soap from Sicily, traditional walnut wood décor from Morocco and French linen napkins.”

“I’m not a true A Vida Portuguesa (three stores in Lisbon showcasing only quality Portuguese products), but I do want to capture the traditional Portuguese craftsmanship and preserve the basic culture that is fast disappearing in the Algarve.”

Personally, browsing the store, I’m enchanted by the wicker lampshades from the Azores, the beautifully handcrafted carpets from the north, the traditional pine Portuguese dining chairs and the vintage ceramic basins.

“I am still a baby at this, but I hope that this reflection of me will make people happy. I know that it’s just a little shop in a little town, but through my previous work I have a good network of people in Portugal and France, so I hope the word will spread.”

Besides sharing his innate style, Sergio is also passionate about promoting Olhão as the Algarve town that is still truly authentic, offering a more natural simple lifestyle.

“Coming from the big cities where you could be anywhere in the world, being in Olhão has helped me recharge and appreciate the simple things in life. Here we have great restaurants, a traditional food market, which is open all year, and two magical islands a ferry ride away.

“I have found my happy place and I hope that this is just the beginning. I hope I will continue to be lucky to find products that are different and reflect my unique identity. I’m also here to help people with ideas for interior design, from private homes to hotels or restaurants.”

Talking about the future, he laughs, saying his new journey has just started and a lot depends on what the universe brings, but that one day opening a Casa Sergio in Lisbon “would be a lovely idea”.

“It’s all another adventure, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.”