Architecture

The authorship of the Villa’s architectural Project can be cautiously attributed to the French architect Charles Siclis, and to José Marques da Silva, a famous Porto-based architect from this period, who was closely associated with the work, throughout its construction process. In addition, the work involved the architects and decorators who worked with Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, who was entrusted with the interior design.

The Villa’s main façade develops along the Rua de Serralves, overlooking the garden. The interior, decisively marked by lioz stone, consists of three floors. In the basement there is the kitchen, pantry and service areas; the ground floor contains the living, dining and lobby areas; and the first floor houses the bedrooms. Over the main entrance there is a glass canopy linked to the door and a semicircular extension of the wall around the Park. The other entrance has a built-in patio, located between the building's volumes, which articulates and distributes the space along the Villa’s longest axis.

Leading European furniture designers contributed to the interior of Serralves Villa. Émile Jacques Ruhlmann designed the dining room, the hall, the salon, the foyer and the billiard room, René Lalique designed the skylight above the hall on the first floor and Edgar Brandt created the wrought iron gate that separates the communal area from the private rooms. Ivan Da Silva Bruhns, Leleu, Jean Perzel, Raymond Subes, and Alfred Porteneuve chose the Villa’s colour. Much of the original furniture now has various owners, after being auctioned.


Charles Siclis (1889–1944) — French architect and decorator, born in Paris and particularly renowned during the 1920s and 1930s. His most famous works include the Chiquito café (1927) and the Colisée café (1932) in Paris.

José Marques da Silva (1869–1947) — attended the Portuguese Academy of Fine Arts and then moved to Paris to pursue his studies. In Porto, his work includes the São Bento Train Station, the São João National Theatre, the Armazéns Nascimento department store, the new Cedofeita Church, the Alexandre Herculano High School, the working-class district of Monte Pedral and the Avenida dos Aliados.

Emile Jacques Ruhlmann (1879–1933) — An interior decorator by training, he also worked in the field of architecture. Drawing direct inspiration from eighteenth century furniture, he modernised interior design by simplifying it and underlining its geometric shapes. In 1925 he presented the Hotel d´un Collectionneur pavilion in the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels, designed by the architect, Pierre Patout