Villa Labruge reimagines the rear garden of a traditional granite house in northern Portugal as a sequence of spaces dedicated to music, leisure and outdoor living. The intervention introduces a compact music studio alongside a small pool, a shaded dining terrace, a barbecue area and a layered garden, while preserving the character of the existing ensemble.

The studio is conceived as a freestanding timber-clad volume. Its precise geometry creates a deliberate contrast with the irregular texture of the granite walls, while the vertical timber slats and warm material palette establish continuity with the rural setting. Inside, non-parallel walls and a double-envelope construction respond to the acoustic requirements of the space, complemented by a restrained palette of timber, cream and white.

Rather than treating the garden as a single open lawn, the project organizes it as a series of connected outdoor rooms. A stepping-stone path links the existing house to the studio and pool, while the pergola extends the architecture into the landscape, filtering sunlight over the outdoor kitchen, dining and lounge areas. An herb garden, wild planting, an outdoor shower and dense clusters of vegetation soften the boundaries and introduce seasonal variation.

The material strategy draws from the existing house and its local context through granite, terracotta-toned paving, timber and simple mineral surfaces. The pool is designed as a quiet stone basin set within the lawn, while the new studio and pergola form a contemporary layer that remains respectful of the historic house. The result is a domestic landscape shaped by sound, shade and movement, where architecture and planting support both private retreat and collective life.