Nini Andrade Silva: Fortifying Madeiran Design & Fine Dining

Set in seventeenth-century stone atop the islet that forms part of the Port of Funchal, The Fortress of Our Lady of Conceição, known locally as ‘Molhe,’ has recently undergone a thoroughly modern Madeiran revamp by none other than Nini Andrade Silva, Portugal’s leading interior design export, born and raised in the Madeiran capital which is now home to her design centre. Originally occupied by Gonçalves Zarco, an old Portuguese sea navigator and coloniser of the archipelago, Madeiran history is at the heart of the fortress-turned-atelier. It seems particularly fitting that these old stone walls should now hold their geological siblings reborn in the form of Nini’s pebble-inspired collections, displayed in scattered yet structured circles in the ground floor of the permanent exhibition space. The designer draws her inspiration from the natural elements of her native island, with a strong connection to the history of the sea.

Image courtesy of Nini Andrade Silva

Smooth, pebble shaped works of art and furniture decorate the darkened walls and sleek floors, creating an almost extra-terrestrial atmosphere, with strategically-placed spotlights illuminating the curvature of each elemental exhibit. Whilst grounded to the earth in its history and elements, the setting could be straight out of a sci-fi film filtered in black and white, with the eerily elliptical shapes casting similarly celestial shadows across the rounded room. Nini has succeeded in creating her own world within the walls of this seventeenth-century fortress, defining her own dimensions of time and space through her creations reminiscent of a super-luxe space-ship.

The otherworldly presence is continued in the lunar artwork adorning the exposed stone walls of the first floor restaurant and designer’s private atelier above, with the candlelight dancing in the large, free-standing mirrors in the corners of the room, and tall, white lamps appear to almost float in the night sky, reflected in the glass of the floor-to-ceiling wrap around windows. Giant flower installations with subtropical ferns flourish from each table, creating an almost unearthly jungle within this designer greenhouse, or I should say white house, with every surface gleaming a bright white which serves to further augment the astral shapes in the glassy reflections. Only the floor disrupts the perfectly white vitreous vision, with flecks of black ink sprinkled across the wooden boards, pooling into patches of darkness which contrast with the starkly pristine surroundings. Little details around the restaurant bring the personal touch of an atelier to life, from the glossy magazines scattered across the table tops as placemats, to the lacquered dressing table to the right of the entrance.

The food is served in five divine courses using seasonal ingredients, from creamy cauliflower soup to start topped off with a salted caramel cheesecake, and wine pairings with each dish of course. The balmy breeze is still warm on my face as I take some air on the rocky balcony after supper, overlooking the harbour and out across the ocean, twinkling with the lights of Funchal night life along the headland before plunging into darkness as civilisation stops and the Atlantic reigns.