With their two paths destined to cross, both Diogo and Marisa’s connections with Macau go back a number of years. Born in Macau, Marisa comes from a family of teachers; both her parents wanted an adventure and were fortunate to win a place in a jobs lottery – which brought them to Macau. Then, when she was six, the family returned to their home town Braga in Portugal.
Diogo, on the other hand, was born in Porto and had visited Macau several times to stay with an uncle working here. Later, when they were both in their 20’s, Diogo and Marisa met at a friend’s dinner party in Braga in 2016.With a primary school and kindergarten Master’s degree under her belt, just like her parents, Marisa wanted to explore the world. She was delighted to be invited to come to Macau to work at St Joseph’s, teaching Portuguese to Chinese-speaking students.
“I love my job”, she says, “I use creative arts, music, songs, drawings, pictures, to help the children better remember the words”.
Meanwhile, Diogo, who at the time was working for a sports nutrition company in Portugal, often dreamt of working abroad, so was happy to join Marisa in Macau. He now works as Head of Sales and Marketing for a prestigious local contracting company.
Arriving about a year ago, their first home was at The Cerese in the Red Market and Mong Ha district. They chose the area primarily as it was close to Marisa’s school, but also because “it’s very busy, there’s so many people, it’s got a fun vibe … it’s near my parent’s old apartment in Caravelle Court, and I immediately felt at home,” Marisa explains.
Once the year was up in their first apartment, the couple decided that they wanted a change of scene and made the move to central Taipa. And with new beginnings, they chose the brand new Nova Grand.
“We wanted to be in Central Taipa, around the park,” says Diogo. “This was the first apartment I saw – the moment I saw the views I knew that it was the home for us”.
Indeed their 2-bedroom corner unit commands superb views of the Macau skyline from the master bedroom, and the Taipa city scape and park from the second bedroom and living room. With pale wood floors, high ceilings and stark white walls, the space feels very bright and airy.
“We originally wanted to get a balcony, but this view beat that idea. Besides, with the pollution, it’s unlikely we’d use it much. If we want, we can go downstairs to the garden podium on the third floor, and sit out on the chairs provided there.”
Back inside the apartment, the couple had some extra help with choosing the furniture.
“We appointed a well known designer, Karen from DESIGN K based in Dubai, as we had seen her work previously and loved it (www.designk.co/services ; Instagram: designk_ ).
“I sent her the apartment dimensions, some photos and a video, and she provided a furniture layout and moodboards for each room. Once we approved the moodboards, she procured all the items on line from IKEA in Hong Kong.”
Marisa admits to having been a little nervous with the process… “I just couldn’t imagine how it would all turn out.”
“Yes, and the apartment looked much smaller initially, so therewas some concern until we got the furniture in,” agrees Diogo.
However, working with clients remotely is something Karen is quite accustomed to, as she explains to us when we speak with her on the phone: “I’ve lived in Dubai now for 11 years. I worked first as a project manager for an interior design company, then as retail design manager for the Mall of Emirates. I then opened DESIGN K and I provide design services to clients all around the world, via email and video call.
“My style is contemporary, soft, minimalistic. I tend to use neutral colours and soft angles, not the harsh, mod- ern look that is often seen. These days my projects are residential – kids rooms, living rooms, and retail – not huge offices, but more small boutique offices.”
For Diogo and Marisa’s apartment, Karen produced a floor layout to scale and then went online, saw what IKEA in Hong Kong had, and ordered accordingly to fit the layout, “so spatially I knew it would work.”
The couple is delighted with the result. “We too like a minimalist look. We like furniture that is simple but practical, and we believe that less is more. For us to fill a house, we don’t need things, we are enough, our memories, love, and of course good food!” enthuses Marisa.
“The apartment is still a work in progress. We plan to add some shelves behind the sofa, a wall mirror, some more art work, and to change the curtains,” explains Diogo.
The master bedroom has one of IKEA’s clever beds that, with a pull at the base, opens up to provide a lot of storage space underneath. Accessories are kept to a minimum, with a charming trio of art deco painted sardines hinting at the nationality of the apartment’s residents.
The second bedroom is multi-purpose; it’s a dressing room containing all the hanging wardrobes (with useful mirror fronted doors that reflect light and make the space feel larger), and a home office, with a desk and chair that enjoy a magnificent view. It’s also the guest room, with smart dark grey suede sofa that pulls out as a comfortable double bed. This was bought from a local store by the Red Market. Oversized orange throw cushions give the space a ‘pop’ and two framed printed map posters complete the look. These come from Swedish on-line company Mapiful (www.mapiful.com).
“We so enjoy having these maps of our home towns, one of Braga and the other of Vila Nova de Gaia, on the otherside of the river running through Porto.”
In the living room, the L-shaped sofa is an elegant dark grey matched with tan cushions and pale wood legs that match the pale wood coffee table. The dining table is pale ash paired with white chairs. A tan wicker chandelier lightshade hangs above.
The kitchen is galley style, with smart grey and stainless steel cabinetry and finishes. Common in a number of the newer developments, a small terrace off the kitchen serves as a laundry to accommodate a washing machine. The bathroom is elegantly appointed with grey and white striated marble.
“Being in the center of Taipa we decided we won’t get a car, public transport is very convenient,” they both agree. “We enjoy exploring the neighborhood – it’s great for food, our regulars are the Kingship sushi next to BNU and the Duckling restaurant that serves the best char sui and roast duck. On weekends, we enjoy going to Cuppa Coffee for an espresso and some of their delicious egg tarts. For shopping, Seng Cheong and CCK are an easy walk away.”
And soon to open is the Nova Grand Mall below – it will be home to Macau’s first IKEA, a supermarket, a cinema, numerous food and beverage and fashion outlets, and a kid’s play area in the basement.
“We love Macau and consider ourselves very lucky living here,” smiles Marisa. “It’s our first overseas home together. We appreciate the mix of cultures, the casino buildings are amazing, it has almost a vacation, out of this world feel.