LOW COST & STYLISH Housing

Today I would like to share this great architectural project by Guilherme Torres untitled GT HOUSE.

This young brazilian architect worked on this project for over 10 years, the place was originally an atelier in need of a serious makeover. 

The present project came to life due to several problems found in the building such as electricity mains and rewiring, wall cracks and seepage. 

Within a month, all wall coatings were removed and the space was almost completely rebuild.

The architect home located in Londrina, Brazil, is 70m2 and is constitute by a ground floor that includes a large living room, kitchen, master suite with private closet and toilet (also a outdoor area with garage and laundry) plus a mezzanine that accommodates a guest bedroom.

Guilherme Torres is also a furniture designer and for the interior design he decided to follow an opposite thread to what he usually do and create something permanent, "stable", says the architect. 

The main piece of furniture of the living room is the concrete table that serves as home office or/and dining table."Not only is the table used to hold books and collections but it is also a place to work and eat at, while the couch stands from wall to wall and has two black fabric mattresses". The couch cushions were made with fabric cutouts with patterns designed by the stylist Adriana Barra to Micasa, São Paulo’s design temple.

The kitchen was compressed in a 1.40m wide by 3m long space. GT House with the concrete floor was coated with rubber so as to avoid oil stains while the wall received plotage images inspired in Arabic mosaic, designed by the architect himself. 

The master suite ambiance resemble to a loft and has a warmer atmosphere compared to the rest of the house due to the large window and exposed brick wall at the top of the bed. 

The electrical wiring system becomes more evident in the guest’s bedroom, located in a mezzanine floor above the living-room.

This exposed wiring system is one of the main features of the house and reinforces the industrial look.

The design was inspired by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, a Brazilian architect who won the Pritzker prize in 2006 and famous for exploring the Brutalist Architecture, in which the architecture functional mechanisms such as hydraulic and electrical pipes are at sight. 

Modern and avant-garde, the whole building cost approximately U$ 6,000.00 and the low cost is due to its simplicity in architectural solutions. 

I found his house project very inspiring because it proves that is possible to elaborate low cost solutions that also can be very stylish.

Designer Crush: Marcelo ROSENBAUM

My new designer crush is brasilian designer Marcelo Rosenbaum. 

I love his eclectic style home in São Paulo - Brasil where he lives with his wife, fashion designer Cris Rosenbaum and their two children.

Marcelo Rosebaum has been operating for over 20 years at the head of his design atelier Rosenbaum ®. His work is inspired by main values ​​of "Brazilianness", he defends the democratization of the design.

Marcelo defends the propagation of traditional values, techniques and craftsmanship of local small communities all over brazil allying those with good and innovative design. The program "A gente Transforma" ("The people transform") goes far beyond the creation of handicrafts,  it connects Brazil to their cultures and opens a new way for the design.

This year Marcelo complete his fifth season as the creative board member of the rubric "Lar Doce Lar" (Home Sweet Home) from the TV show "Caldeirão do Huck"(on Globo TV), and minister lecture cycles for different professional markets, beyond his work a designer for his own clients.

The house in the Pinheiros neighborhood of São Paulo is a renovation project by Marcelo Rosenbaum, the designer choose not to demolish the existing structure but to adapt it to the needs of his family instead. 

I am a great fan of Marcelo's Rosenbaum designs, particulary the project concept and architecture of his house. 

Here are the Before & After of the exterior intervention.

The interventions of the existing structure mainly involved replacing the finishes and adding a rainwater harvesting system to optimize the use of water in the house.

To redefine the new spaces, he worked with the concept "two domestic realities coexisting". One side is more "normal" bedrooms, a formal sitting room  and a functional kitchen. The other side includes the living room, the swimming pool, a tree house for the children and a second kitchen / dining room with a large table.

The original structure of the house remain basically the same, the exterior intervention contemplated the construction of a terrace on the 1st floor witch simply implied the conversion of the garage roof. Marcelo also extended a living area into the garden by building a structure similar to a hut that serves as an informal sitting area, adjacent to second the kitchen.

The layout of both of the front yard and backyard was also improved.

Fotos from The Selby

LOVE the facade!!

Main entrance, I love the hydraulic tile!! (design by Rosenbaum®)

Front Yard, lots of green...

Front door (recycled wood finishes part of the walls of this area)

Side of the house

Wooden trellises protect windows 1st Floor

1st Floor terrace (Metal plates finishes all of the exterior of the house )

1rst Floor terrace adjacent to a family room that function as a transition with the bedrooms

Backyard and on the back the kids Tree House

Backyard

Basement eclectic sitting area

 

Lounge Area

Second Kitchen

I love this eclectic lounge area,  it's a big melting pot of objects with different origins but somehow they all work well together

Pantry armoir with some traditional brasilian baskets

Eclectic artwork

Backyard deck and swimming pool

 

The tree house is great fun for the kids and grownups 

Inside of the tree house

What a cute family portrait!

Ground Floor Studio / Home Office

Ground Floor formal living room

Functional kitchen (Ground floor)

Guest bathroom

Family room (1st Floor)

Marcelo's son bedroom

Marcelo's daughter bedroom

MY FAVORITE:

My favorite is definitely the black, white and grey hydraulic tile design by Rosenbaum®, the geometric pattern is quite striking, modern but with a vintage feel. 

Hydraulic mosaic designed by Marcelo Rosenbaum for Brasil Imperial

I leave you with other designs of from the same Brasil Imperial Collection - São João 2012 inspired by the difference aspects of the Brazilian culture and traditions, as well as the artwork and beauty of this wonderful country.

This collection is specifically inspired by the esthetic of the populars Brazilian fairs called Festas Juninas.

My favorite "Bandeira" inspired by the the traditional flags that decorated the poplars fair parties