“I SAID TO
SABRINA,
‘LET’S BUY IT,
LET’S PAINT
IT AND LET’S
MOVE IN.
THERE’S JUST
ONE CHANGE
I WANT TO
MAKE FIRST.’”
THAT ONE
MINOR
CHANGE SOON
SNOWBALLEDprompted frequent trips back and forth across the Atlantic.
“It was a miracle my wife and I didn’t divorce,” laughs
Vartanian. “It was tough, but now that we are finally living
here, it was worth every moment. We succeeded in creating
a house that we all feel at home in.”
All that remains of the original building today is a small
den at the rear. In the former property’s place is a concrete,
wood and glass house that softens its brutalist lines with
an invitation to curl up and relax in a discreet corner. “It’s
about balance,” says Vartanian. “My jewellery is the same: a
combination of constructing the brutal and embracing the
soft, like an inverted diamond and a soft pearl.”
Inspired by homes they had seen in Los Angeles, the
couple opted for a series of intimate spaces throughout, rather
than the big, boxy, open-plan living style that Vartanian says
dominates recent Brazilian architecture. “We have three
children and they are all at different stages,” he says. “We
wanted a home where we can be together and separate.”
Reinterpreting the legacy of Brazilian Modernist architects
such as Lúcio Costa, Affonso Eduardo Reidy and Rino
Levi for the 21st century, the house is a dialogue between
the natural and the man-made. The raw honesty of concrete
contrasts with unexpected curves and the warmth of parquet
floors and antique rugs. Indoor and outdoor spaces run
together effortlessly to take advantage of São Paulo’s
temperate climate.
In the Stone Room, a flock of soaring cranes in
Oitoemponto’s gold-leaf wallpaper for de Gournay catches
the light flooding in from the garden. Meanwhile, outside,
the sharp angles of bedroom balconies are moderated by vast
planters of tropical greenery that overhang the garden below.
Further plants surround and naturally filter the chemical-free
pool, while a Japanese-inspired Zen garden offers a spot for
quiet reflection or an impromptu game of hide-and-seek.The first thing to greet visitors as they enter the house
is a graphic mural painted by members of the local Guaraní
ethnic group. The patterns and colours, usually reserved
for spiritual paintings applied directly to the body, each
have special significance to this indigenous people, who
were among the first occupants of São Paulo. Today, they
live on the highest peak of the city. Commissioning them
to create the work was a way of grounding the house in
its location and also inviting a form of blessing on the
Vartanians’ new home. “It was my way of saying, ‘You’ve
lived here much longer than us. Can you give us acceptance
for living in the area?’” says Ara. Of Armenian origin, he
has lived in São Paulo since he was a baby, when his family
left Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War.
Further inside, the main living room encompasses Ara’s
passions in one single space. In front of an inviting fireplace,
an assortment of midcentury Brazilian sofas and chairs, by
Sergio Rodrigues and Jean Gillon, surround a 1930s Walter
Nichols Chinese silk rug, making it the perfect spot for the
couple’s frequent gatherings of friends and family. It is
Sabrina’s favourite place in the entire house. “It reminds me
of my grandparents’ home when I was growing up in the
south of Brazil,” she says.
On either side of the fireplace is a pair of 1950s RCA
LC1A speakers, which Vartanian has owned for years. In
their previous home, they stood on the floor. It was by pure
chance that one day he spotted them in pictures of Elvis
Presley performing, in which the singer had them raised
off the ground. “Now I’ve had stands built for them, they
sound so much better,” he laughs. “You sit in these chairs
and the sound is incredible.”
The perfectionist streak that sustained Ara during the
building process also drives his work as a jeweller. Specialising
in one-of-a-kind statement jewels that link contemporary >Above: Oitoemponto’s
Namban wallpaper for
de Gournay takes
centre stage in the Sala
de Pedra, or Stone
Room – essentially a
party room with bar
and sound system.
Opposite: clockwise
from top left, the entrance
hall mural was painted
by members of the local
Guaraní community;
a 1960s woven tapestry,
by French artist Hervé
Lelong, hangs above
a plush 1970s Italian
Space Age lounge set; the
Japanese-inspired Zen
garden offers solitude;
Giuseppe Scapinelli
furniture and Robert
Debiève’s La Forêt tapestry
in the dining room12-19-WELL-Interiors-AraVartarian.indd 244 27/09/2019 16:59
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