Brazilian Curves

I would love to be in Brazil at this moment:  the World Cup, the protests, the elections. What for an exciting time for us Brazilians!

Brazil is a country of controversies, diversity and beauty. The energy that you feel there, you don't feel anywhere in this world. 

It was with great pleasure that I found out this book.  The German photographer Olaf Heine tried to capture some impressions of the Brazilian soul.

It is incredible the quantity of curves in these pictures. As Oscar Niemeyer used to say "the whole universe is made of curves." 

 

Therefore, if you like photography and Brazil, I recommend this work: Brazil by Olaf Heine

The trouble and the delight of being Brazilian

My dear readers 

I have been living in several countries and I am very well integrated where I live at the moment but my essence is still Brazilian. 

Everything that I learnt  and I am, I owe to my friends, teachers and family in Brazil. 

The best gift they gave me was, probably,  the ability to adapt to different situations and to improvise when facing a problem. 

Therefore, in this moment of revolution in Brazil, it would be insensible of me talking about interior design. 

I wish all Brazilians, a lot of wisdom and serenity. It is time to enter a dialog to create the country we deserve. Oh, yes, I know how hard we work and how long we have been waiting for this moment. 

I am with you Brazil! Estou com vocês, brava gente!

A little bit of São Paulo

I met Karina in the 90’s when we both used to live in London. In those days interior design was not yet popular in Brazil but she had already worked as an interior designer in São Paulo.  

Looking at her work, you can feel São Paulo’s pulse - a city  which never stops, and the worldwide influences that the cosmopolitan centre receives. 

Karina loves using Italian nero stone, red bricks and beautiful wood flooring. A well planned lighting is also very important for her. She combines practicality and elegance.

I love the huge fridge. It reminds me of the times when I used to live in this amazing city. In such hot summers there is a need to keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator. Something that I rarely do in Europe.

There is a lot of romanticism in her bedroom creations: flowers, stylish french furniture, cute mirrors and frames.

The Buda figure appears in many of her works, bringing harmony to the ambience.

 Would you like to know more about Karina? Click here.

Santa Maria

Are words adequate to express such sadness? I am deeply sorry for the tragedy in Santa Maria and would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. May you take comfort in knowing that an angel is watching over you. 

Niemeyer - Architecture Is Invention

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro, by Niemeyer

" I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves  make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein." 

I was close to tears, when I heard the news few days ago. Oscar Niemeyer has died aged 104. He was best known as the designer of Brasília, the futuristic capital city of Brazil. He was actually much more than this. 

Niemeyer designed more than five hundred buildings across the world and had the intention of reforming society through his buildings. 

However,  the diehard communist with the heart of a romantic, knew that his buildings did not help to improve social justice: 

Far from the model city Niemeyer had envisioned, Brasilia today is in many ways the epitome of inequality. The rich live in villas in the Brazilian capital while the  poor live in distant satellite towns; 

The Communist Party building that he designed in Paris was once rent for a Prada fashion show, a  company known for providing expensive bags and wallets. 

Nevertheless, he was a visionary who fought for social justice and freedom during his entire life. 

Thank you Niemeyer for being such an extraordinary person. Brazil will miss you.