Nestled in its gently sloping site, this lush upstate São Paulo home, SL House by the Brazilian firm Padovani Arquitetos, features a low architectural composition that was conceived to flow with the landscape. The architects prioritised balancing voids and solid volumes to carve a residence that effortlessly integrates with the site's landscape – making nature a key element in the project's overall identity.
Inside SL House, a new upstate São Paulo home
The residence was crafted around the idea of layered volumes positioned so the eye and body are always directed toward the outdoors.
‘Each volume is envisioned as a layer unfolding to reveal the leisure area as the gravitational centre of the composition,’ says Lucas Padovani, founder of the firm. ‘The inspiration lies not in the mass itself, but in the void it frames: the outdoor space as the ultimate destination of every room.’
Positioned at the same level as the street, SL House is arranged to form a T-shaped axis. The 'voids' in the plan are enriched with intentional landscape design, which softens the transitions between the built volumes and provides constant access to nature.
However, achieving this proved more difficult than expected, as the architect explains: ‘The project's greatest challenge was transforming superimposition – a compositional principle that is inherently fragmented – into a unified whole. The intention was to create a house perceived not as a collection of juxtaposed volumes, but as a single architectural body, where the transitions dissolve within the experience of those who inhabit it.’
The firm used stone, which transitions smoothly from interior to exterior, and timber, which adds warmth, to unify the project. ‘These materials flow across the volumes, stitching together what geometry alone might otherwise separate,’ explains Padovani.
The ground floor is divided into two sections. One side houses two suites and a home office, while the other contains the kitchen, laundry and staff suite, as well as the main living spaces. A double-height living and dining area, which acts as the beating core of the home, physically connects all the different uses. Upstairs, visitors will find three suites, including the primary bedroom.
Says Padovani: ‘More than any particular room, the soul of the project resides at the threshold between indoors and outdoors – the point where architecture is no longer confined by walls and begins to merge with the landscape. The living room, gourmet area, and social spaces do not end at the glass or the deck; instead, they extend naturally into the leisure area, as though the house itself breathes through these openings.’
The landscape design was created as a mindful extension of the architecture, established via built planes, pathways, and stepping stones. Here, visitors will find a swimming pool, a reflecting pool, and a spa.
If there is one takeaway from the property, it’s the grand moment of suspension in the heart of the home. Padovani describes it as ‘almost one of quiet reverence before the scale of the space’. However, this sense of grandeur is not intended to create distance or a feeling of austerity; it is designed to be inviting. He adds: 'The expressive architectural gesture immediately translates into warmth, allowing the house to convey both a strong presence and a genuine sense of shelter.’
