The house in the jungle, the kitchen in the village

“Living is a great way to develop well defined practices that simply make you happy – and that was our aim in this project in Rio de Janeiro,” say architects Thiago Bernardes and Camila Tariki of their original vision for the building. The rooms merge into one another like a light, airy bossa nova. But all threads seem to converge on the most important ritual, and that is the kitchen area as the fundamental and social centre of the building. Instead of presenting themselves to the dark, shadowy thicket on a silver platter, here the narrow viewing windows turn the observed into observers, especially after the sun goes down ...

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The elongated kitchen area underlines the absolutely parallel lines of the window and table fronts, while the U-shaped, handle-less, glossy kitchen run encapsulates the sweep of the entire building. This measure produces so much storage space that not a single appliance is in evidence to distract a wandering glance. The famous Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier colour vert anglais pâle (pale English green) rounds off the effect by picking up the surrounding greenery and simultaneously making the kitchen shine, complemented by natural wood flooring with equally natural, sweeping dining furniture placed in the middle. It doesn’t matter what noises can be heard outside: here you a person, this is where you want to be. Luxurious kitchens really can make you happy.