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Like fashion shows for clothing designers, showhouses offer a platform for interior designers to incorporate cutting edge products, set trends and push boundaries. One such space that exemplifies this in the 2014 San Francisco Showcase is the master bedroom by Antonio Martins. The San Francisco-based interior designer boldly mixes traditional Portuguese tile, contemporary art and a 18th century antique bed passed down through generations. The result is simply stunning as it captures history and celebrates Portuguese culture in a modern manner.

To honor his heritage, an antique Portuguese Bilros bed, carefully preserved by Antonio’s family since the 18th century, commands attention and is the primary inspiration for the space. Made of “Pau-Santo,” an exotic rosewood, the design of the bed adheres to the strict guidelines of the period. “I have always loved this bed, which incorporates our family crest, and the Showcase was the perfect excuse to bring it to San Francisco,” says Antonio Martins.

In a bold move, Martins covered the wall in blue and white Portuguese tiles known as Azulejos. The 243 hand-painted tiles are a faithful copies of 18th century patterns and designs. To deliver a 21st century twist on traditional form and pattern, Antonio has expanded the tile size and shuffled the images to become a modern piece of art. Incredible.

On the sleek fireplace mantel sits two lucite boxes filled with personal letters (see below). Who knows what they say, but the romantic in me assuming they are all love letters passed down in the family. What a fun way to display such special notes!

Need some more does of the color blue? Here’s a tour of the little boy’s bedroom in this year’s showcase, in case you missed it. There is also plenty of time to still tour the estate and is open now through May 26th. Here’s more information on purchasing tickets.

Next week marks a BIG milestone for the Simplified Bee Blog. It’s turning 5! In celebration, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite companies, LampsPlus, Serena & Lily, Wayfair, Truffle and Driftwood Interiors, for some amazing giveaways. You’ll have to drop by and tell your friends!!!

Happy decorating,

Cristin

* all showcase images provided by Antonia Martins and cake image via 100 Layer Cake-let 

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