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
This magnificent Valencia House outside São Paulo is a vacation home designed by Padovani Arquitetos. Created to be low to the ground, the house nestles within the region's rolling hills, with the main living space raised up above the contours and presented as a pristine shutter-wrapped box.
Explore Valencia House by Padovani Arquitetos
The house has been designed for socialising with family and friends, set within a freshly landscaped plot with the various programmatic elements seamlessly following the contours of the site. In total, there are seven suites spread across 1,500 sq m, as well as an indoor pool and gymnasium, making Valencia House more akin to an exclusive private hotel.
‘The concept behind the design was strongly influenced by the initial sketch,’ the architects say. ‘This served as a solid foundation for the conception.’ By respecting the topography, the architects have used the slope of the site, creating a three-storey house that gives the impression of a single-storey pavilion.
This strategy also prioritises views across the valley, with the garden façade of the house stepping down through a series of verandas, terraces and pools. The landscaping, by Maria João d'Ore, has been carefully considered throughout, with mature palms and other indigenous planting screening and directing the view. This is an area where houses are set on large plots, so the alignments and vistas give the impression of a house alone in the landscape.
Padovani Arquitetos has chosen to draw on Brazil’s modernist architecture heritage with the design, especially through the use of materials like wood and stone. The upper pavilion combines vertical brise soleils with its long, linear façade, with timber cladding designed to patinate over time.
Interiors were completed by Suite Arquitetos and feature a host of contemporary furniture and lighting in a neutral palette that tones with the construction materials. The double-height main living space, ringed by a gallery, highlights the roof construction and views across all aspects of the site.
Lucas Padovani founded the studio in 2008, after studying and working in Spain. The firm has offices in Campinas and São Paulo.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which features a 1990s-inspired riff on the G-Wagon
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Volvo’s ultra-efficient EX30 compact EV gets its first real competition, the new Smart #3
We experience the highly rated Volvo EX30 and Smart’s most recent foray into pure electric cars, the #3. Which is the best executed small SUV?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
All aboard Casa Quinta, floating in Brazil’s tropical rainforest
Casa Quinta by Brazilian studio Arquipélago appears to float at canopy level in the heart of the rainforest that flanks the picturesque town of Paraty on the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
Feel like a movie? The top 50 films of all time according to Marcio Kogan
Marcio Kogan's top 50 films of all time; the architect taps into his passion for the moving image and shares with us his recommendations
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Studio mk27 and Marcio Kogan’s greatest hits: from voluptuous villas to relaxing retreats
Studio mk27, led by Wallpaper* guest editor Marcio Kogan, is behind buildings that make us swoon; here are the best of the best
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
How guest editor Marcio Kogan, during a visit to the movies, ‘discovered that something else exists in the world, real poetry’
Marcio Kogan is a guest editor of Wallpaper* October 2024. In his dedicated section, we discover how the world of cinema’s loss was architecture’s gain when a feature film failed but a dream space creator rose from the ashes
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
Brazilian modernism finds its latest expression in Studio Porto’s AG House
Studio Porto, an emerging Brazilian practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A modernist São Paulo apartment finds a new lease of life
A spacious modernist São Paulo apartment in the neighbourhood of Higienópolis gets a thorough renovation by Brazilian architects Bloco Arquitetos
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Explore Bridge House, an immersive island home off the coast of Brazil
Bridge House offers 21st-century minimalism and long sea views on the island of Florianópolis off the southern coast of Brazil
By Ellie Stathaki Published