The house is located on a rural estate about 25 minutes
away from Brasilia, Brazil.
It's located on the hillside, facing the views to the horizon.
And the beautiful Cerrado landscape that's very traditional
of these central regions of Brazil.
Our main influences and inspirations for this design
were the traditional Brazilian farmhouses from the colonial period.
We chose to keep it white while adding color
to the roofing structures, doors and windows.
This is done very traditionally in Brazilian countryside homes
and traditional farmhouses that featured large windows, large porches,
and featured the main social areas as one of the key aspects of the design.
My name is Matheus Carvalho
and I'm the founder of the Coplanar Studio of Architecture, located in Brasilia.
The owners of the house are a middle aged couple
that wanted a retreat away from the city where they could do some gardening
and host small family events with their grandchildren.
The house was built in the late 1990s
but was rather dark and disconnected from the outside world.
We wanted to open the house as much as possible
in order to bring in more natural lighting and airflow.
So we pushed the wall of the second bedroom,
creating two equally sized bedrooms
On the other side of the house.
We created a social core connecting kitchen, living room and a porch.
At the back, we created small courtyards at the bedroom
to allow more natural sunlight to come into the house,
while also creating a small courtyard at the front of the house.
Expanding the porch without altering its roofing.
The front porch
is a very traditional element of the Brazilian farmhouse.
At the front yard, we created a small curved bench
with a small fireplace area.
Then a small blue gate welcomes you to the front porch.
The semi-circle wall with mesh like openings
creates a large social area that expands the porch
without any need for altering or expanding the roof.
We brought in a splash of color to this part of the house
by painting the accented parts in France blue, inspired
by traditional Brazilian farmhouses.
The living room connects the porch and the kitchen
into an indoor and outdoor social area.
I like to use locally sourced furniture pieces and décor instead
of having everything built in, in order to allow for more flexibility and variety.
As the owner's needs change throughout the years.
Instead of a TV,
we increase the size of the window to open it up to the beautiful views.
It also serves as the living room’s main focal point.
The wooden shades were inspired by traditional Brazilian houses
from the Colonial era, and we designed the window sill at a seat height
so you could sit by the window and take in the landscape.
We kept a small opening where the old entrance door was located
for natural lighting and ventilation.
A small, traditional wooden
sideboard marks the beginning of the kitchen area.
It has everything you need.
There's a small fridge, which we also painted in France blue,
a sink, an electric cooktop and a microwave.
The hand-crafted white and blue tiles were made by a local artisan
inspired by the shapes of an old floral tile found in the house
prior to the renovation.
At the end of the kitchen,
there's a small courtyard with the door that connects to the back of the property.
This courtyard has a sink which is used for cleaning
freshly collected vegetables, as well as gardening materials
in order to avoid bringing in dirt to the inside of the house.
In the main bedroom, we also used neutral tones
and materials to let the décor and the furniture stand out
and to create a more serene atmosphere.
There's a door opening to a small courtyard
that serves as a reading and relaxation area.
The ground in the courtyard was made from a mixture
of cement and pebbles to give it an organic look.
The owners are able to sleep and keep the doors half open for ventilation
while still preserving a sense of security and privacy.
The second bedroom is used as a guest bedroom.
There's a bed, a cupboard and a television for
when the grandchildren are staying over.
In the bathroom,
we used a concrete texture on the walls and floors.
We mixed white tiles with the same blue tiles used in the kitchen
by reducing the number of tiles that needed to be custom made,
we were able to cut down on costs.
We used a floating vanity attached to the wall
to free up the floor and to make it feel more airy and spacious.
We created a small courtyard with an outdoor shower
that brings more natural lighting and ventilation to the bathroom.
We chose to use wall mounted light fixtures in order
to bring a more intimate and cozy feeling to the rooms.
At the bathroom, we also used wall mounted light
fixtures and also some of the walls at the courtyard.
I'm always interested in finding different ways to bring nature into architecture.
It was very necessary to take into consideration factors
like natural lighting, airflow and shading,
and these are now becoming more and more relevant again
due to sustainability and energy efficiency concerns.
By mixing traditional design aspects with modern ones,
we can learn from a time when houses could not depend
on artificial systems like cooling, lighting and heating.
As it is done today.
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