ABOUT US
HI! WE’RE ISABELLE & MAXIME
While Isabelle continues to work internationally as a photographer and storyteller, Max became the driving force behind the full renovation process , rebuilding the studios by hand and caring for the land surrounding them.
Over the past year, we renovated, built and designed almost everything ourselves learning along the way that creating a place is never only about aesthetics, but about how it makes people feel.
Our studios were created to feel calm, personal and lived-in. More like staying in someone’s home than in a traditional holiday rental.
A place for slower mornings, outdoor dinners, salty skin after the ocean, books left unfinished, conversations stretching into the night and reconnecting with a simpler rhythm of life.
We’re so happy you found your way here.
Together with our two children, we moved here in 2025
to build a different kind of life , one closer to nature, creativity, simplicity and the things that truly matter to us.
As a family, we’ve always shared a deep love for travel, beautiful places, gathering people around a table and creating spaces that feel warm and meaningful. Over the years, Isabelle’s work as a photographer for international magazines and hospitality brands brought us to many corners of the world, but Portugal kept calling us back.
What started as a dream slowly turned into These Are The Days Studios , a small off-grid hospitality project we rebuilt almost entirely ourselves over the course of one very intense year shaped by family life, craftsmanship, photography, travel and a deep love for thoughtful spaces.
“Why Portugal?”
It’s a question we get asked often.
Especially after years of traveling the world as a photographer and seeing so many beautiful places along the way. But somehow, Portugal kept calling us back.
For us, it all started with a walk.
Years ago, we discovered the Fisherman’s Trail, one of the most breathtaking coastal hikes in the world. We fell deeply in love with this raw and untouched part of the Algarve and made a tradition out of returning every year to walk another stage of the trail together.
But our connection to Portugal runs deeper than that.
Isabelle’s father had also lost his heart here.
But life changed suddenly.
He got ill and we lost him at 63.
“Watching someone so close to you leave this world changes something deeply inside of you.”
For years, we had dreamed about moving abroad. But like many people, we kept postponing it:
“Maybe later.”
“When the timing is better.”
“When the children are older.”
“It made us realize how fragile life really is.
How quickly time passes.
How no one is guaranteed “someday” or retirement or a better moment later on.”
For years, we dreamed about moving abroad. But like many people, we kept postponing it:
“Maybe later.”
“When the timing is better.”
“When the children are older.”
Until we suddenly realized:
what if later never comes?
So we jumped.
With our children, who were only 10 and 15 at the time, we packed up our entire life and moved to Portugal.
And honestly?
It was beautiful, but it was also incredibly hard.
Leaving behind family, friends, familiarity and everything we knew. Learning a new language. Building a completely new life from scratch. Trying to find our place here while also watching our children navigate their own emotions and grief around such a big transition.
Over the past year, we have cried, doubted, worked endlessly and rebuilt our lives piece by piece.
And somewhere in between all of that, These Are The Days Studios Portugal was born.
What started as abandoned land slowly became a place shaped by family life, creativity, resilience and the belief that life can be lived differently.
Today, after one of the hardest and most transformative years of our lives, we finally opened our very first off-grid studio.
And this little place, built with our own hands and hearts, is something we are incredibly grateful to now share with you