250 m² house in Vila Madalena gains an open concept and fruit trees

Increasingly rare in the city of São Paulo, houses that preserve their charming architecture are true treasures to be discovered. For example, this cozy residence in Vila Madalena, which, despite needing some repairs to make it more modern, had everything it needed to become a dream home for a couple. With this in mind, Mandril Arquitetura , part of the CASACOR São Paulo 2024 cast, was called upon to bring the couple's ideas to life, and just like the future residents, they were also enchanted by the house's original coverings and architecture. However, many improvements were needed. The spaces, which were too individual, compromised the ventilation potential; in addition, the architects wanted to make the most of the 250 m² of the building.

A country house in the middle of the city

One of the main attractions of the residence was that it was a house with a country feel . They felt that they could live more calmly and away from the stresses of the city, even though they were just a few minutes from the center. The land where the residence is located is heavily wooded , and connecting with nature became one of the priorities. To achieve this, Mandril adopted glass frames to create an open concept and integrated the social areas with the exterior . "The house was truly a dream, despite being very worn down by time and little maintenance, it already had everything, the entire structure was very good and the entire choice of coverings was very assertive", says Mandril Arquitetura.

Challenges and hands-on!

The architects identified two main challenges: working on the restoration of the social areas and the complete restructuring of the service areas . The kitchen was small and outdated . The stainless steel countertops were very old and there was little space for appliances. The floor was very porous, and there was even a freight elevator that connected the kitchen and the bathroom on the upper floor, even though it had no clear purpose. "The greatest demands for structural changes on the ground floor were in this region: kitchen, laundry, bedroom and service bathroom", state the architects. The creation of a gourmet terrace , with a dining table, wood-burning oven and barbecue, also took center stage in the renovation, so that the couple could receive guests with an open-air view and have contact with the surrounding nature. "The glass doors were our best option for full integration with the garden , and still protecting it and allowing it to be used even on rainy days", they explain. With over 500 m² , the land had its native vegetation preserved, creating a beautiful backyard of jabuticaba, pitanga, orange and lemon trees . To make better use of the space and create accessible circulation throughout the garden, Mandril created steps from raw cement, made on site to better adapt to the topography and provide easy access for fruit picking.