THE HOUSE THAT BREATHES || Natural Materials, Passive Strategies, and Brazilian Craftsmanship Create a Home in Harmony with Its Climate
Why build a house that seals itself off from nature when you can invite the breeze in?
In São José do Rio Preto, a city known for its sunny climate in the interior of São Paulo, KG Studio has designed a home that responds to its environment not with barriers, but with breath. JF Residence is an airy, 600-square-meter home crafted from stone, wood, and light; shaped not only for aesthetic clarity, but for comfort, airflow, and connection.
The front façade maintains privacy through vertical brises and opaque cladding, hinting at the tranquility within.
Set gently into a sloped site within a gated community, the house uses its terrain to its advantage. From the street, privacy is maintained with solid, muted panels on the lower level and vertical wooden brises above. The rear façade tells a different story: generous glass openings, hanging foliage, and seamless transitions between inside and out transform the space into a shaded sanctuary that celebrates its tropical setting.
The rear façade opens fully to the garden and pool, framed by stone, timber, and cascading plants.
The home’s structure is organized around two parallel stone-clad gables, which anchor the composition with a subtle gravitas. These long walls support the upper volume and define a linear rhythm that organizes space, delineates function, and sets the tone for everything from circulation to cabinetry.
Inside, the floor plan flows with intuitive ease. Service areas, including the kitchen, laundry, and gourmet zone, line one axis, while living and lounge spaces occupy the other. Uniform white cabinetry conceals doorways and storage zones, offering visual calm. A continuous millwork installation, running from the main entrance to the outdoor veranda, anchors the social areas with warm wood tones and built-in functionality.
Floating stairs, greenery, and walnut shelving combine to form a grounded yet elevated living space.
At the center of the home, a sculptural staircase seems to float over an indoor garden, bridging levels while encouraging light and movement. Its suspended wooden treads, paired with a vertical skylight above, create a cinematic experience of ascent, one that subtly illuminates the circulation corridor and softens the connection between architecture and nature.
On the upper level, bedrooms are carefully positioned to receive morning light while remaining shielded from heat. Wooden brises filter the sun, ensuring cross-ventilation and ambient shade throughout the day. Walnut furnishings and headboards add tonal richness, balancing pale stone and white-painted surfaces.
The principal bedroom pairs warm walnut accents with filtered daylight and opens to the lush green surroundings.
Throughout the home, a carefully curated mix of Brazilian and international design objects, including pieces by Sérgio Rodrigues, Arthur Casas, and Astep, enrich the palette with texture and timelessness. The integration of greenery from floor-level plant beds to cascading vines from upper terraces further grounds the home in its regional context.
More than just a design for living, JF Residence is a lesson in listening to climate, to material, and to the quiet rhythms of daily life. The home breathes, cools, and evolves in sync with its surroundings.
Local and international design objects enhance the story of the home. A skylight above the stairwell casts diagonal light across the white interior, changing subtly throughout the day.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Residência JF
Location: São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
Year of completion: 2024
Plot area: 700m²
Built area: 600m²
Architecture: KG Studio
Interiors: KG Studio
Lighting: Lucenera
Landscaping: Mônica Costa
Photography: Miti Sameshima
Text / Communication: Matheus Pereira
Main suppliers: Docol (metals), Exbra (finishes), Eloísa Cortinas (curtains and upholstery), Dpot (furniture), Belcolore (furniture), MiCasa (furniture), Atelier Carlos Motta (furniture), Jader Almeida (furniture), Green House (furniture), Itens Collections (furniture), Jacqueline Terpins (furniture), Astep (furniture), Augusta (furniture), Studio Objeto (furniture), Phenícia (rugs), Nani Chinellato (rugs), Glass 11 (furniture)
