SHOWCASING HER CHIC HAVEN IN HER BELOVED MADEIRA

SHARES THE STYLE SECRETS AND AWARD-WINNING ETHOS BEHIND HER HOME AND WORLD OF DESIGN

A poolside table is dressed with pieces she designed for Portuguese ceramics specialist Bordallo Pinheiro

Nini, at her fabulous home, wearing a bracelet from Italian boutique Fiore Capri by Nonis.

Nini Andrade Silva started drawing as a child, and she’s simply never stopped. Now, it seems there’s nothing the Madeira-born artist hasn’t created, from paintings to interiors, furniture to jewellery and fashion. Her career, she says, is proof of what you can achieve if you’re given the chance to explore your talent, and plenty of support. And that, she adds, is something her home city of Funchal knows all about, as it also produced her friend, world-famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. But that’s another story.

According to Nini, there’s something special about the landscape of the Atlantic port, with its endless horizons, that inspires you to dream big.

“My house looks onto the ocean, the infinite ocean. I travel constantly, but I can’t stay away from Funchal long. I can’t live without this landscape, because this is a place of light and peace,” she says.

Her beachside villa is a perfect example of her style, which she describes as “minimalist with soul”. Shielded from the sea breeze by cypresses, it has pure white walls with the sleekest of lines, and huge windows. Inside it is the epitome of clutter-free comfort. With typical modesty, Nini describes the awardwinning project as “a simple house”.

“I think I’ve got to where I am because my family always encouraged me,” she tells us. “When I wasn’t much more than a baby, and I did a little sketch, my grandma would say: ‘That looks really lovely, Nini,’ and I believed her.