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Far from the madding crowd of the third - largest urban center on the satellite - São Paulo - is the seaboard Pancho Villa of the chic Brazilian designer Ana Maria Vieira Santos . afford a bird’s - heart survey of an azure Atlantic intake , it is cloak by the luxuriant wood conserve of the Mata Atlântica .
From the entry way made of Moledo stone and glass , and through 15 - foot - tall doors , the sea beyond and gardens below are visible . Photo by : Jon Whittle .
Every Friday afternoon , Santos cranks up the “ ambient chill euphony ” in her shiny black Toyota Hilux as her driver ca-ca the 90 - minute slip from the engorged city street to this over-the-top garden paradise of her own design . Chill indeed on a hillside , Santos ’ four - fib pour - concrete and limestone home architecturally cascade down toward the sea . Yin from yang , it is surpassing tropical privacy - the antithesis of the almost peerless urban sprawl of São Paolo .
get it on just as Ana to her friends , Santos has been in the business of purpose for 35 years . In accession to her computer architecture and interior intent , she operates two home furnishings saleroom in São Paolo . Her current projects include a spa in Qatar and a home in Rio de Janeiro nation with garden originally design by Roberto Burle Marx .
center in limestone terraces , the pool appears to talk into the ocean . exposure by : Jon Whittle .
LAYOUT : The entering to the eight - chamber , over 4,200 - straight - foot Villa Santos is at the upper grade of the four - story house , build against a hillside perched over the ocean . As you border on , there is a sensational endocarp path with three - groundwork - square glass panel , through which is unveil a subterranean tropical - plants garden which includes disregard - leaf and flask philodendron , Vriesea imperialisbromeliads andAnthuriumcrystallinum . Ana Maria also displays her compendium of orchids - an raiment that includes cattleyas , miltonias , oncidiums and vandas - about which she is passionate .
At the bum of the theater , Santos designed an east - facing bench to frame a small kitty , first just one foot inscrutable and 12 feet substantial , broaden to full sizing and depth . The eternity - sharpness pool appear to join the ocean , as though the villa were itself floating .
Sheltered under the canopy of a timber preserve , Ana Maria Santos ’ outdoor dining way table and terrace were both made using salvaged wood from her home state of matter of Minas Gerais in Brazil . Photo by : Jon Whittle .
material : The Santos abode is built of poured concrete , with limestone floors and patio that stay coolheaded underfoot in a very hot climate . For the forested dining patio , Ana Maria salvaged broad timbers from Tiradentes , a compound Ithiel Town establish in 1702 in Minas Gerais land . The precious and ancient boards were used for decking and to make the dining table and president . A procession of handmade plant containers , on concrete pedestal , are actually salvaged antiquealguidares , richly patinated vessel made of fired clay and earlier used in the north of Brazil to cook and carry meals . A brown stone , Moledo , pave the garden paths .
STYLE : Known for her hard smiling and gamy energy , Santos is a fashion plate and society frame in São Paolo . Her equally voguish outside lifespan reflects her fashionable restraint , with a bit of lingua - in - cheek design humor thrown in . For case , the surrealistic negative spaces in the glass walk are echoed , in reverse , by the three likewise proportioned limestone pace endocarp that seem implausibly to take the air on water in the serene pool .
In witching eventide light , an ornamental fountain , framed by agave and also seeable from the entrance of the firm add up a touch of minimalist ceremonial to Santos ’ limestone pool terrace and footbridge . picture by : Jon Whittle .
plant : For contemporary homes like her own , Santos prefers simple , locally adjust plants like bamboo palm tree , moso bamboo ( Phyllostachys pubescens ) andRenealmia brasiliensis . The entering walk is bordered with a fringe ofDietes bicolor . demode containers are fill with straggle oleander ( topically calledespirradeira ) . A duet of agave couch an decorative fountain , flanked by pot allamandas atop pedestal . Near the resort hotel , Santos ’ orchid aggregation is sheltered from the climate of Guarujá , the island where the theatre is located . Moss - coveredalguidaresfilled with oleanders zone the open - plan terraces .
FURNISHINGS : With an editor ’s precision , Ana Maria furnishes her garden with austere and silken article of furniture of her own design , such as the trio of steel chaise longues , painted black and upholstered with woven celluloid fiber . Many are production bit that are also offer at her store , Ana Maria Vieira Santos Casa in São Paolo . The outdoor dining piece of furniture , made of wide salvaged display panel , recall the work of George Nakashima and could not be more at dwelling than under the protection of the surrounding forest preserve .
OVERHEAD : grant to fellow worker , the elegant Ana Maria is recognize to privately trip the light fantastic toe by her seaside kitty . It is a elated thing to reckon . By keeping it simple , celebrating the fifth wheel , Santos has create and furnish a home that is a happy bridge between the lush woods and the shimmer ocean .
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