The plant-fitted atrium at the center of Vik Muniz and Malu Barretto's studio building in Salvador, Brazil, which they designed witharchitect Brenda Bello and landscape designer Alex Sá.
For more than 25 years Vik Muniz, the Brazilian conceptual artist, has made regular trips to Salvador, a port city that is the capital of the country's Bahia region. He and his wife Malu Barretto, who are based in Rio de Janeiro and New York, have always loved the coastal town for its animated civic life and vibrant blend of music, gastronomy, religion, art, and architecture.
"Culturally speaking, Salvador is the most interesting place in Brazil, in my opinion," says Muniz, a native of São Paulo who is acclaimed for his photographic recreations of iconic images using unexpected materials such as chocolate syrup, toys, and garbage. "It's a pan-African mecca, really."
Muniz and Barretto, an events planner, are now actively participating in Salvador's cultural landscape. They recently restored a 19th-century cliffside rowhouse in Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, a residential neighborhood perched high above the Bay of All Saints. A three-minute walk from their house, with rooms for when their four children visit, is another historic building they have renovated. This annex houses an entertaining space with a veranda overlooking the water, Muniz's office and art atelier, a music studio for their oldest child, and three small apartments they offer to friends. "We consider this an extension of the house," Muniz says.
Barretto and Muniz walk from their rowhouse to their nearby annex, which is housed in a pair of converted 19th-century townhouses.
Dit verhaal komt uit de March 2025 editie van Elle Decor US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Al abonnee ? Inloggen
Dit verhaal komt uit de March 2025 editie van Elle Decor US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Al abonnee? Inloggen
Architecture of Time
Surviving the gelid gusts and gales of winter takes more than a vicuña coat and shearling earmuffs, and the watch designers at Van Cleef & Arpels understand this well.
The Jewelry House
A marriage between two centers of Italian culture, history, and design, Milan and Venice, finding its purest expression in a jam jar? Stranger things have happened.
BIOGRAPHY OF A ROOM
COULD A TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY MANSION BE THE CRADLE OF retail's next gilded age?
ON TERRA INCOGNITA
NEW YORK ARTIST CAMILLE HENROT AND HER COMPOSER HUSBAND MAURO HERTIG PURSUE A CREATIVE FAMILY LIFE WHERE THEY LEAST EXPECTED ITUPTOWN WITH HELP FROM DESIGNERS HUSBAND WIFE.
PORTRAIT of a HOUSE
THE ICONIC HOUSES OF LOS ANGELES ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN EVER. IN LOS FELIZ, TWO COLLECTORS MAINTAIN THEIR RICHARD NEUTRA HOME WITH REVERENCE FOR ITS PAST, WHILE FILLING IT WITH CONTEMPORARY ART THAT SPEAKS TO ITS FUTURE.
WANTED: A CLEAN, WELL LIGHTED PLACE
They need rooms of their own to sculpt and paint. But how do you find such places with today's Manhattan rents? A look at the state of an industry legend: the New York artist studio.
IMMERSIVE THEATER
A FASHION DESIGNER MOVED INTO A LAW OFFICE IN PARIS, THEN ENLISTED UCHRONIA TO REIMAGINE IT FROM TOP TO PALETTE. FROM THERE, THE PLOT THICKENS.
HERE'S THE PLAN
A FLORIDA COUPLE COMMISSIONS ROBERT A.M. STERN TO BUILD A MODERNIST HOUSE, THEN ENLISTS ELLIE CULLMAN TO DESIGN IT. FINAL TOUCH: MAJOR ART, FIT FOR A MASTERPIECE.
WELCOME to the MUNIZVERSE
FROM A GATHERING SPACE TO HIS ART STUDIO AND THE COCKTAIL BAR OF HIS DREAMS, BRAZILIAN CONCEPTUALIST VIK MUNIZ IS CREATING A CULTURAL HUB IN THE COLOR-DRENCHED CAPITAL OF BAHIA.
SHOULD THE MATISSE MATCH THE DRAPES?
In her new column, Rita Konig tackles modern design dilemmas, both practical and philosophical. To begin: the art of hanging art.
