Located in São Francisco Xavier, a district of São José dos Campos, Casa Quetzal is set within the landscape of the Serra da Mantiqueira, surrounded by Atlantic Forest and the characteristics of the region’s rural architecture. Designed by Sertão Arquitetos as a renovation of a 105 m² residence, the project completely reorganizes the interior spaces to meet the needs of its new inhabitants while preserving the language of the existing building and strengthening its relationship with the surrounding landscape.
The main intervention focuses on the redistribution of the program. The office was expanded by incorporating an existing covered veranda, while the kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms were completely renovated. The changes update the way the house functions without altering its footprint or volume, preserving the simplicity characteristic of the buildings found throughout the Mantiqueira region.
The original window and door frames were preserved and repainted in a new palette of terracotta, green, and mustard yellow. The same colors extend across ceilings, finishes, and other elements throughout the interiors, creating a continuous visual identity between the different spaces. New windows facing the forest increase the entry of natural light and improve cross-ventilation, strengthening the connection between the house and the landscape.
The material palette balances wood, ceramic, and exposed brick, preserving the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the residence. Inside, objects collected during travels, books, and pieces accumulated throughout the inhabitants’ lives are naturally incorporated into the architecture, revealing a house shaped not only by its construction, but also by memories, cultural references, and experiences gathered over time.
This relationship between architecture and identity is also reflected in the name chosen for the house. Quetzal is a bird native to Central America, particularly significant in Guatemala, where it lends its name to the country’s currency and remains associated with freedom and the deities of pre-Columbian civilizations. Coincidentally, the colors of its plumage echo the palette adopted throughout the project.
The result is an intervention that updates the house without replacing its identity. Rather than establishing a contrast between the new and the existing, the project seeks a dialogue with the original architecture, introducing new uses, new colors, and new relationships with the landscape while preserving the living, everyday character of a house that remains deeply rooted in the Serra da Mantiqueira.
