When the coronavirus began to spread around the globe, Filipa de Abreu’s boyfriend suggested she and her three teenage children come stay with him and his two children in Comporta, Portugal—a small beach town 1.5 hours from her home in Lisbon. They packed their bags and arrived post-haste. “What he didn’t know was that my bare necessities included all my linens, homeware, glasses and cutlery sets that I’ve been collecting over the years,” the Tory Burch design consultant and brand ambassador shares with a self-deprecating laugh. “Poor love, he was expecting a suitcase with basics and a toiletries bag. He doesn’t know what’s hit him…”

Or maybe he does, and he’s thanking his lucky stars for having found somebody who can ride out this challenging chapter with an unorthodox that is fueled by a sense of gratitude. Their new routine: He grills fish, she sets the table. The world’s troubles recede for a moment, and family memories are made. Recently, de Abreu posted a shot to her Instagram that had us positively green with envy (what we wouldn’t give to be there!). “I try to do a couple of special dinners or lunches a week for no special reason other than to celebrate every day as a gift and not a right,” she says. “I find joy in beauty.” And a little wisdom, too.