Always in search of iconic locations, FOA Housethe most important sample of architecture, design and decorationopens its doors in the Admirable Mother Boarding House and Parish House, on the charming corner of Suipacha and Arroyo, in Retiro. In addition, for the first time the exhibition will also allow entry to a museum, through a connection between gardens with that of Hispanic American Art Isaac Fernández Blanco at its headquarters in the Palacio Noel. The result is a journey that unites the future of design (such as this year’s theme) with the perennial beauty of the Andalusian patio.
open from October 14 to November 20is an invitation to spy on what is coming in terms of design, but also to reflect on the fate of heritage buildings when they need to “upgrade” to contemporary life.
omnipresent green
This year’s theme is “Future Scenarios”. They tried to think about the meaning of the link with design, new ways of living, the incursion of technology into everyday life and designs that help preserve the environment and generate harmony, among other topics.
This was achieved, for example, by the space of the architects Daniel Germani, Patricia Mezzadra and Carola Moris, that to its kitchen-dining room full of bright and warm materials they added a winter garden in which to grow herbs and vegetables, but where there is also space for the relaxed home office and in contact with the green. “A space that looks to the future with optimism and that benefits and learns from the changes generated not only by technology, but also by the effects of the pandemic”, describe its creators. And so, without terraces or large windows, a place connected with nature and the outside is still achieved.
Another kitchen that focused on green was Maria Delia Zaccagnini. The professional imagined a plot that links technology, nature and art. Thus, different needs can be met in different seasons, from coffee time to drinks, through the washing and processing of fresh food. The sustainable gains strength with sectors for the cultivation of aromatics, an intelligent system that regulates the use of energy and the choice of reused raw materials, among other gestures. “The entire design is permeated by the notion of biophilia, a way of feeling architecture in harmony with life,” Zaccagnini details.
of trends
Casa FOA is also a presentation of trends to the general public. A) Yes, the tone “Silence of winter”, the color of the year of Alba, inspired by the warm tones of dried flowers and fields, was seen throughout the show. “You can see how the environment takes center stage. The land is located as the source of everything: well-being, inspiration and life projects”, they detail from the brand.
The search for new ways of living is another strong point that is reflected in all environments, including the bathroom. The space of Claudia Camisar Alterman and Adriana Teplixkewhere the lighting is almost a work of art and the coverings were treated as an enclosing box that accentuates the sensation of a relaxation capsule, is a great example.
Coworking is also still valid in times when face-to-face returned to the offices. Guadalupe Diez and Ines Muzzio they interpreted it in their space at the hands of Grupo a2, where they separated the environment into three well-differentiated sectors: the office area, a living room and a great duct that works as a “phonebooth”, to give privacy when talking on the phone and not disturb to the rest. Throughout the space, circles and curved shapes run through the design, providing aesthetics, but also storage and lighting solutions.
And if anything remained of the pandemic, it was the need for each space to be multifunctional. Viviana Melamed highlighted it in its main room, where three areas are intertwined, all speaking the same language of noble and innovative materials: the sleeping and reading sector, the work sector, and the training and wellness sector. To unite them seamlessly, she resorted to handcrafted textures, mirrored planes, colored glass and home automation that controls all daily operations.
The bar is also fundamental in the house of the future, with more and more space for enjoyment. The one by Carla Barconte, Carolina Estelles and Mariana Paccieri was designed to experience the senses, and it does so through a curved geometry of wood that surrounds the entire environment, containing the different situations. Wood, marble and copper combine warmth and contemporaneity, while the art of Laura Lumi accompanies a biomaterial and a composition of botanicals, a nod to the ingredients of the gin.
revisit the past
The headquarters building of Casa FOA 2022 has Patrimonial protection. Although there is no precise data on its construction date, by 1920 it was already known as the “Arroyo House”. It was a nursing home, workshop school, dining room, kindergarten and women’s home, and was completed with a chapel and a garden adjoining the Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum. With all this imprint, the exhibition aims to be a meeting place between the past and the future, where the most distinguished heritage of Buenos Aires places the design to come. Until November 20 there is time to visit this communion.
