At the beginning of the 20th century (estimated time of its construction), this property in Joanópolis, 120 km from the capital of São Paulo, served as a coffee farm. The refuge near the Serra da Mantiqueira has a
total area of 170 m² and has survived the centuries with great difficulty. "The house was badly damaged by time," says
Alberto Lahós , the architect who, alongside
Marco do Carmo, led the renovation of the residence. "However, we were seduced by the
land with its orchard, river, waterfall and lots of greenery ," adds Marco.
Concerned about
not changing the character of the period architecture , Marco and Alberto began researching the style of Brazilian colonial houses and local buildings before starting the renovation – which
took six years to complete . Thus, the arches under the porch, a very common element in Brazilian farms, were maintained.
In the renovation, nothing was lost : the original French tiles, for example, now cover the garage; while the mansion gained tiles of the same type, but new.
The volume of the main façade was maintained, only
updated with small details characteristic of urban houses. Inside, however, almost everything was changed.
The second building – a
small single-story house that served as a grain storage facility – was completely remodeled. It now has red French doors and a fully restored brick floor.
The bedrooms were transported here , prioritizing the view of the courtyard. In the three comfortable suites, the scissor ceilings reproduce those that existed in the original project.
In the living room and the old basement,
soft tones ran through the walls and fabrics . Note that in the living room, dining room and bedrooms, the flooring alternates between a dark tatajuba wood and a lighter one, cumaru. Finally ,
the pool was positioned in the old coffee drying yard and received the same brick lining – the preferred material of the architect duo. See more photos of the country house in Joanópolis in the gallery below:
