Amidst the green, the refuge in Itanhangá is even a setting for soap operas

The 1800 m² lot was one of those charming places that captivate at first sight: surrounded by lush vegetation, it had a huge natural rock on one side and a stream running through the back of the lot. The perfect place for a young Carioca family to build an urban refuge with the soul of a house in the mountains and start a new lifestyle, more connected to the nature of Itanhangá (RJ). For the construction, architects Thiago Morsch and Michele Wilkinson from Thimi Arquitetura and the cast of CASACOR Rio de Janeiro took advantage of the gentle slope of the lot and designed a one-story, compact house, but with generous spaces to host friends and enjoy moments with family, as the couple of owners desired. "They lived in a small house, but wanted to build their first home from scratch and dreamed of a functional, contemporary home surrounded by greenery, a true breath of fresh air within the city," says Thiago. The inspiration came from another project by the duo: a house built in the CASACOR Rio de Janeiro 2021, characterized by the use of natural materials, organic textures, and a fluid relationship between interior and exterior. Characteristics that were maintained in this lightweight metal structure house, with large panes of glass that open to the greenery and a social area that seems to float over the land. "Starting from this idea of fluid architecture, which blurs the boundaries between inside and outside, we created a versatile and welcoming layout, designed to accompany the cycles of family life," explains Michele.

The central area consists of an living room and kitchen integrated with a central island that serves as the heart of the house. There is almost no masonry there. There are only two walls: the one for the TV, covered in moledo stone; and one at the back, where the kitchen cabinetry was installed. The balcony continues with the same flooring, giving a sense of continuity, further expanding the space, which has both facades covered in glass, with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors made of metalwork. [caption id="attachment_208726" align="alignnone" width="6204"][/caption> The transition between the social and private volumes is made by a tree that was already on the lot and was preserved. This concern with the surroundings and nature is constant throughout the project. The back balcony, for example, connects directly with a green wall and a huge rock, integrating the interior with the landscape in an almost poetic way. [caption id="attachment_208732" align="alignnone" width="5662"][/caption> The couple's suite is the last room of the house and has a view of the stream and a balcony completely covered in wood. The children - an 8-year-old boy and a baby - received a Canadian suite with a bathroom that is also used as a social bathroom. [caption id="attachment_208717" align="alignnone" width="3453"][/caption> An existing annex on the lot was transformed into a service area, with a laundry, storage, bathroom, and internal access from the house. The gourmet area was created beneath the main suite, utilizing the slope of the lot. "Nature is the axis of the project, its central point. That is why we used natural elements like stone, wood, and lush landscaping as protagonists both from an aesthetic point of view and from the experience of those living there," says Thiago. No wonder the house has captured the hearts of the audiovisual market and is occasionally rented out for productions. It has been used as a location for the soap opera Mania de Você, by TV Globo, and even as a setting for a home appliance commercial. But it remains the dream refuge of its residents.