Paraty House - Brazil

**Honey** · September 28th, 2009, 08:47 PM

September 28 2009

Elegant, calm, minimalist, clean and beautiful are among the adjectives that can be used to describe almost all of Marcio Kogan’s much-publicized and much-awarded residential masterpieces.

The magnificent, streamlined residences must serve as an antidote of some sort to the Brazilian architect who has been quoted as saying that he loves his home town of São Paulo and New York because they are similar in their chaotic ugliness, and because he likes “energy, chaos and a multi-cultural population in a city.”

Out of this chaos-, humor- and cinema-loving creative mind, an astonishingly lovely, peaceful balance is projected onto residential projects.

Reviewers of Kogan’s work often mention Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright or their contemporaries, but Kogan has said that he is more inspired by Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Andy Warhol.

However, the 57-year-old Brazilian-born and educated Kogan does have a modernist approach, and he has described the work of fellow Brazilians of modernist ilk -- Lucio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer, Lina Bo Bardi and Vilanova Artigas – as incredible.

The Paraty House, pictured here, is located on one of the hundreds of islands near the colonial town of Paraty, close to Rio de Janeiro. Before it was completed, Kogan predicted that it was to be his favourite house. Its simple premise is two large drawers pushed into the hill and connected by an internal staircase.

Its elegance comes from the seamless link between indoors and out, from the use of native wood, stone and vegetation, and from the minimalist, sweeping vistas that make so many of Kogan’s houses appear as if they were either taking off or recently landed. And although the stacked-boxes style is starting to wear thin as style-du-jour, this is surely one of its best examples. - Tuija Seipell

The Cool Hunter - Paraty House - Brazil

**McJag** · September 28th, 2009, 08:58 PM

Lovely location-would like to see more of the inside...

**mizglam** · September 28th, 2009, 09:00 PM

From what I can see it looks great! Wish I could be out relaxing in one of those chairs now!

**calcifer** · September 29th, 2009, 12:55 PM

i'd steal the furniture.

**Brookie** · September 29th, 2009, 12:57 PM

Okay, I could have a couple parties or 12 there.

**angelais** · September 29th, 2009, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by Brookie

Okay, I could have a couple parties or 12 there.

Ditto. Especially the pool area at night. Lovely!

**lisalucy69** · September 29th, 2009, 09:40 PM

I could lounge there reading and relaxing for hours. i wonder what the inside looks like. I like what i see though.

**cmmdee** · October 1st, 2009, 04:41 PM

It'd be so nice to wake up at that beach every morning...

**LynnieD** · October 1st, 2009, 04:42 PM

Need It In My Life Now.

**Aella** · October 1st, 2009, 04:43 PM

Pure heaven.

**Laxmobster** · October 2nd, 2009, 02:05 PM

I'll take it!

**sputnik** · October 6th, 2009, 05:14 PM

sexy.

**A*O** · October 6th, 2009, 05:53 PM

Not sure the chunky timber furniture goes with modern minimalist but I'd like to see more of the inside. I think we only have pics of the lower level. There seems to be an upper level (bedrooms, etc?) in the pic taken from the sea.