Every space has a life of its own.
October 31, 2024
From a home to an office, there is a particular vibe that, most of the times, communicates the personality of a family or a company. It’s just like a piece of branding and communication with a voice of its own: the people that live/work there.
The human side of interior design is no different from the material side of it. Inevitably, one influences the other, and vice versa. A home is a perfect expression of an individual or a group, from friends to family. Be it the décor, the colors on the wall, the furniture and its placement, every detail proclaims a certain way of life and a specific personality. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can know people by the way they present their home. It’s the same with an office, because branding comes from not only the company’s core values, but the personality and style of each partner. To that, we add the team and the work procedures. A more complex persona, but a persona nonetheless.
That’s why, when starting a project, there is a deep dive in the human side of the space that we are going to build, shape or reframe. The first question is not just “what do you want?”, but rather “who are you?”.
There are many ways to start the dive. At Maria Vilhena, we have 2 key frames for the first approach to a client’s needs: a quiz and a visit. This starts in an organic way, with a meeting. Not in a meeting room, but in the exact room, office or future restaurant that we’re going to work on. Because, on the spot, we can feel our clients’ certainties and doubts. And that is a huge piece of organic and non- written information that only takes place when you visit a client. This is not field work, that comes later, but it certainly ads to the briefing in a non-formal way. After that first glance, we share a personalized questionnaire to address all of the project’s needs.
It's deep dive into the client’s personality, to understand how those nuances will affect the creative vision. During this stage, we act as consultants, guiding each client, according to their specific ideas and doubts, to create the perfect briefing. One that serves as a guideline and inspiration.
With that, we have a clear starting point and a visual understanding of the potential personality of the space. This allows us to create a perfect expression of an idea and a specific way of life. The only way to get there is to create and nourish a close relation with each client, in order to understand, from a creative, technical and human point of view, every key aspect of the space.
All things considered, it’s all in the profile. Each and every space has one that deeply connects withs its human counterparts, that only stand out when there is a close interaction between Maria Vilhena and each client. That’s why people are our main source of inspiration.
