Tour Bravissima House by Arthur Casas in a Brazilian forest

Bravissima House by Arthur Casas, a brazilian house nestled among the forest canopy and rising above the foliage to long views from large windows and ample terraces — (Image credit: César Béjar)

Brazilian architect Arthur Casas is a deft hand when it comes to crafting the perfect retreat. With his country's modernist legacy as part of his vocabulary and a desire to attune his designs to their respective settings, he has worked on some of Brazil's finest homes, including Pacaembu House and an apartment in Vila Nova Conceição, both in São Paulo. His newest completion, Bravissima House, is a contemporary escape set among the foliage of its forested site in the southern state of Santa Catarina – and follows its author's approach and residential explorations.

Step inside Bravissima House by Arthur Casas

The home is located within a steeply sloped site in the region of Itajaí. Ocean views on one side and a rich, leafy forest on the other make for a home with expansive, 360-degree vistas – a fact the architecture team made the most of, dotting the design with large open-air spaces and terraces overlooking the natural views.

Repurposing an existing structure on site, Arthur Casas and his architects transformed the old building's bones into a sleek, modern residence serving as an escape for a family of four. The owners enjoy hosting and entertaining guests, so ample living spaces attached to those long views were a must from the get-go.

Inside, Bravissima House spans two main levels. The lower one contains the bedrooms – three of them, one being a generous primary suite with its own workspace – a family room, a home gym and a cinema room. The upper floor is dedicated solely to the entertainment spaces in an almost single, flowing interior that blends indoor and outdoor living. A kitchen is cleverly partitioned off to one side for discreet food preparation as needed.

The home's material palette emphasises the site's pristine natural character, and is composed predominantly of wood, stone (including Vermont limestone) and simple, tactile plastered walls. Brushed metal details add cool accents throughout.

The interiors were decorated by the studio too, featuring pieces designed by Arthur Casas, such as the ‘Fusca’ sofa, the ‘Construflama’ fireplace, and the ‘Aiso’ coffee table. Further items include the ‘Cubo’ sofa by Jorge Zalszupin, the ‘PL61’ armchairs by Percival Lafer and a sideboard by Sérgio Rodrigues. Contemporary art by artists such as Mano Penalva and José Bechara punctuates the space.

A naturalistic landscape-architecture scheme by Renata Tilli ensures the project blends seamlessly with its wild surroundings, working with the existing topography and the site's indigenous vegetation.

The architects explain: 'Casa Bravíssima creates routes and perspectives that seamlessly connect interior and exterior, opening spaces to the landscape while balancing functionality, comfort, and natural presence. The project functions as an extension of the site, offering an experience that highlights vegetation and topography and reinforces the relationship between architecture and its surroundings.'

arthurcasas.com

Explore more projects by Arthur Casas in his 2023 monograph

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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).