The return of the artisanal: handmade takes over CASACOR Brasília 2026 traduzido por: OPENROUTER

At first glance, Brasília is not a city associated with the handmade. Its visual identity was built on another foundation: exposed concrete, monumental curves, Niemeyer's ruler and compass, the brutalism that became synonymous with the capital. That is precisely why the 34th CASACOR Brasília, staged at Casa do Candango under the theme "Mind and Heart", surprises by placing the handmade at the center of so many projects — not as a decorative detail, but as a structural part of the projects' narrative.

Craftsmanship as a protagonist, not as a backdrop

Rick Hudson - Sebrae Feito à Mão. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

The most direct example of this shift is in Feito a Mão Sebrae, designed by Rick Hudson. The project turns Brazilian craftsmanship into a protagonist, translating the cultural richness of the Cerrado into interior architecture. In 100 sq m, shop and residence merge into an immersive experience with curation focused on pieces by designers and artisans from the Federal District — highlights include the Nós collection, designed by Pé Esquerdo, Studio Jader Rodrigues, and Instituto Ser Tão Fort, which brings together lamps, tables, and mirrors in Brazilian woods and handcrafted cords. The project also prioritizes dry industrialized construction systems and recyclable materials, proving that manual tradition and environmental awareness can indeed walk hand in hand.

An altar dedicated to the handmade

Alex Claver e Wilker Medeiros - Entre. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

In Entre, by Alex Claver and Wilker Medeiros, from Studio 2 Arquitetura, the handmade gains an almost ritualistic space. At the heart of the 150 sq m project, a nucleus named "Altar of the Handmade", surrounded by green velvet curtains, hosts real-time artistic workshops — an explicit celebration of manual work within a project that also brings together works by Di Cavalcanti, Alfredo Volpi, Vik Muniz, and Siron Franco, with curation by Galeria Expoarte.

Fibers, clay, and weavings that evoke the Cerrado

Ana Luísa Jardim - Praça Raiz. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

Several projects turn to techniques and materials traditionally associated with regional handmade work. In Praça Raiz, by Ana Luísa Jardim, the landscape becomes a sensory experience: nautical rope, macramé, and clay vases compose an atmosphere that values ancestry and manual craft, complemented by an exclusive mural by artist Daniel Toys and a modular pergola that organizes the living areas.

Tudo Arquitetura e Construção - Espaço São Geraldo. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

In Espaço São Geraldo, by Tudo Arquitetura e Construção, designed by Alessandra Lima Oliveira, the palette of natural tones relies on straw, clay, and cobogó — materials that evoke a building tradition far removed from the reinforced concrete that defined the capital, but which here appear side by side with works by artists such as the Campana Brothers.

Clay that becomes a luxury finish

Daniel Mendonça - Chalé Botteles – Terra e Fogo: A Casa é Cura. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

In Chalé Botteles - Terra e Fogo: A Casa é Cura, by Daniel Mendonça, handcrafted ceramics enter the composition alongside natural stone, steel with an also artisanal finish, linen and leather — a combination that recovers the welcoming atmosphere of country life within a space of only 78 sqm, symbolically marked by the presence of fire.

When the handcrafted carries affective memory

ON Arquitetura - Lar das Três Marias. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

In Lar das Três Marias, by ON Arquitetura, the handcrafted work takes on an even more personal meaning. Inspired by the signature collection of lighting fixtures created by Luciana Canalli in tribute to her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, the 60 sqm project reinterprets the concept of a house-atelier, with curation signed by women and a large curved artistic panel that guides the narrative dedicated to the power of female creation.

Alessandra Passero e Didacio Duailibe - Loft Jade. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

The Loft Jade, by Alessandra Passero and Didacio Duailibe, follows a similar line by affirming that true sophistication is born from the authenticity of materials and handcrafted work — a phrase that could summarize the entire movement observed in this edition of the show.

A Cerrado that is also woven and molded

Larissa Dias e Natália Dias - Nosso Alpendre. Projeto da CASACOR Brasília 2026. (Edgard César/CASACOR)

Closing this overview, it is worth noting how the muxarabi — an openwork lattice of Arab origin, historically associated with traditional Brazilian architecture — appears in more than one project of the show. In Nosso Alpendre, by Larissa Dias Arquitetura, the cumaru muxarabi integrates a composition that also uses quartzites and stone, valuing the encounter and connection with nature.

From the altar dedicated to handcraft workshops to the cobogó that reinterprets a modernist icon at the Senac Bookstore, CASACOR Brasília 2026 suggests a symbolic shift: the capital of the straight line and monumental scale is, at least for this season, testing the value of controlled imperfection, hand-made texture and the narrative that only the handcrafted can tell.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER