Senses House by UP3 Arquitetura in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Project: Senses House Architects: UP3 Arquitetura Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Area: 1,130 sq ft Year: 2023 Photography by: Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio

Senses House by UP3 Arquitetura

The Senses House, presented at CasaCorRio 2023, is a tranquil rural lodge designed by the architectural studio UP3. Constructed from repurposed containers and metal structure, the project is inspired by modern rural houses and seamlessly integrates interior spaces with nature. Natural materials, smooth layouts, and soft tones create a timeless minimalist luxurious interior. Features include a wooden hole in the ceiling, kitchen island, and sauna. Transparency, organic forms, and hidden functionality define this unpretentious yet elegant retreat.

The Senses House is a rural lodge project built for CasaCorRio 2023 by architects Cade Marino, Michelle Wilkinson, and Tiago Morsch from UP3 Arquitetura upon invitation by Brentwood, which provided all furniture for the space including chairs, tables, stools, sofas, benches, beds, and more. The house was assembled from three used containers and a metal structure allowing an expandable area of up to 105 m² in a box shape.

The main inspirational source of the project came from modern rural houses where solutions for maximum integration of interior spaces with surrounding nature are implemented. "We named this sanctuary 'senses' because our goal here is to awaken different senses in guests through natural materials, textures, lighting, ventilation and vegetation, combining them with organic and rounded forms that instinctively connect us to our environment," says Cade.

The concept of integration was also explored inside through smooth spaces that connect with each other, slightly separated to avoid sharp visual barriers. "The Senses House also bets on quiet luxury, including natural elements such as wood, stone, cotton, linen, leather and plants in interior architecture to achieve a modest, timeless and elegant decor," emphasizes Michelle. "The idea is not to show off because today luxury is more associated with wellness, timelessness, good product quality and, of course, modesty," adds Tiago.

According to this logic, the entire floor of the house was covered with wooden planks, walls and openings – travertine marble tiles, while the main facade aluminum frames (which serve as rotating sunscreens) received a special paint imitating wood and a lattice closure instead of regular glass.

Another outstanding element of the project is the hole in the ceiling through which a large tree passes, integrated into the interior space and surrounded by ferns serving as a winter garden and divider between the public area and intimate part of the house. "The hole is completely open so rain and sun can enter anytime without ceremony," jokes Cade.

The architects also highlight the kitchen focused on an island with side cabinets and buffet shape (designed by them and completely made from Dekton to hide appliances), as well as a self-service sauna with shower, facing a glass wall towards the outdoor garden.

"Overall, the combination of large transparent glass panels, large integrated spaces, natural materials, modest colors, minimalist forms and solutions that hide functions sums up our space offering at CasaCor," concludes architect Michelle Wilkinson.

–UP3 Arquitetura