São Paulo villa by Arthur Casas is the perfect urban retreat
A contemporary house in São Paulo is a modernist retreat set in the leafy suburbs, courtesy of architect Arthur Casas
![BD House by arthur casas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AEj87LKsg9nbWhozHt2jKQ-415-80.png)
This São Paulo villa was designed as the perfect urban retreat. BD House, created by Brazilian architect Arthur Casas and his team, was conceived as a haven of modernist calm among the rich suburban foliage of the Brazilian metropolis for the clients, a young couple with two small children – although the residence sits a mere stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
The design's starting point, Casas explains, was the structure’s cobogó – the external screen that wraps the upper levels and derives from the traditional lace-like perforated panels of the country's vernacular dwellings. The pattern here, made out of wood, was created by the studio and helps define the project's look and identity, balancing privacy and long vistas, natural ventilation and protection from the elements. At the same time, the garden's verdant planting and a green wall converse with the geometric timber structure – which was also designed to support the growth of the outdoor climbing plants on site.
The home's main volumes are made in cast-in-situ concrete, their robust, confident, boxy forms clearly delineating where the outdoors ends and the indoors begins. Expansive glazing, however, on the ground floor allows the interior to open up to nature and connect visually and physically to the garden when the windows are drawn back. Meanwhile, timber surfaces soften the overall effect.
Within its some 650 sq m, the house hosts a flowing, open-plan living room and kitchen, toilet, barbecue area, and garden on the ground floor. The children's bedrooms, the master suite, and the guest room are right upstairs. A penthouse-style structure at the top houses leisure areas, such as a pool and deck, while a basement was dug to accommodate the garage, a wine cellar, an office, service areas and storage.
The interiors, bathed in natural light and wrapped in views of greenery, are styled with furniture pieces by Brazilian and international creatives, such as Sergio Rodrigues, Charles Eames, Lina Bo Bardi, Jean Gillon, and Ricardo Fasanello. Items by Casas, too, populate the space, including the ‘Apache’ dining table, the ‘Antigua’ coffee table and a selection of lighting – making this São Paulo villa a holistically thought-out, finely tuned urban retreat.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Valencia House by Padovani Arquitetos cuts a striking figure in the Brazilian landscape
Valencia House is a sprawling new holiday retreat in the hills outside São Paulo that mixes the timeless forms of Brazilian modernism with expansive guest facilities
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This contemporary Brazilian home lies low and takes in its countryside context
A Brazilian home by practice Jacobsen Arquitetura, MS Residence unites nature and contemporary architecture outside São Paulo
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Niemeyer’s modernism celebrated in Oscar Ibirapuera, an example of 21st-century São Paulo living
Perkins&Will completes Oscar Ibirapuera, next to Niemeyer’s modernist landmark park in São Paulo, Brazil
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Canopy House in Brazil is designed so ‘you can always hear the birds’
Canopy House is raised on concrete columns to offer treetop views of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest; a holiday home by Studio MK27 that is not only open plan, but open to the elements
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Brazilian Forest House injects art into a modernist-inspired, contemporary design
The Brazilian Forest House, designed in upstate São Paulo by FGMF, brings together nature and art
By Ellie Stathaki Published