The interior design project for Hotel Estanplaza Berrini emerged from a broader repositioning process involving the entire Estanplaza hotel group, which comprises seven properties and has been present in São Paulo for more than 20 years. Aware of changing ways of living and the need to adapt to this new reality, Estanplaza challenged M Magalhães Estúdio to explore how interior design could renew a well-established hotel without erasing its history.
We believe that rethinking the uses and interior spaces of a building should begin with respect for memory, while creating opportunities for new roles and new stories to emerge. We began by identifying elements that already belonged to the brand’s identity and reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens, creating a new hospitality experience. On the one hand, we found double-height lobbies, grand staircases, marble floors and wood panelling. On the other, we recognised the need for new openings to strengthen the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, bring in more natural light and introduce a stronger presence of greenery throughout the hotel.
The new interiors reinforce concepts that were present when the hotel first opened more than 20 years ago, but had gradually been lost over time. Beyond materials, we rediscovered a warm, personal and welcoming approach to hospitality, with a distinctly “Brazilian soul”. This Brazilian identity is expressed not only through hospitality: Estanplaza is a 100% Brazilian hotel group and, more specifically, deeply rooted in São Paulo.
We transformed the ground floor into a large living room, inviting not only hotel guests but also local residents to take part in the life of the hotel. The furniture is distinctive and comfortable, with pieces such as Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s Paulistano armchairs. In the double-height lobby, a large tapestry by São Paulo-based artist Andrés Sandoval welcomes visitors. For years, the visual artist has explored the relationship between territory, memory and craftsmanship. Embroidered collectively by many hands, the artwork presents an almost abstract cartography of the springs and streams of São Paulo, many of which now run buried beneath the city’s asphalt.
On the bookshelves, a carefully selected collection offers privileged access to Brazilian culture: classic novels and short stories that have shaped the ways in which Brazil tells its own story.
In the restaurants, we replaced all finishes and designed open and lively kitchens. We introduced new configurations for socialising, dissolving rigid boundaries between lobby, lounge and restaurant. Woven fabrics, textured wallpaper and wood panelling envelop the interiors, bringing the warmth and comfort of a home.
In the suites, the concept is expanded further. Previously, the rooms were organised primarily around the bed. The new design creates distinct settings for different activities: sleeping and resting around the bed; relaxing on the sofa while watching television; and a living corner with a table that can accommodate either a meal or a working day. On the walls, original sketches and photographs depict the hotel’s original architecture, reinforcing respect for its history and its São Paulo origins. The result is a more residential, fluid and welcoming approach to hospitality.
Hotel Estanplaza Berrini is part of a broader transformation project developed by M Magalhães Estúdio for all seven Estanplaza hotels in São Paulo. It served as the pilot project for establishing a new interior design language across the entire group.
Faced with the challenge of repositioning the Estanplaza brand, we developed a concept, an identity and a new hospitality experience capable of being adapted to buildings with very different characteristics, while preserving the individuality and distinct personality of each property.
