Interviews with Thiago Mondini

I wanted to achieve a meaningful space, where memories would be created and kept as a treasure in the future of each family member.

I hope the family has the best moments in this award winning design.

Circa 1 year, since the inicial concepts until the finished result.

It was a personal decision of mine to design this apartment this way. The clients were charmed by the project and quickly identified themselves with the concept.

No. It was very personalized.

A couple with one child.

The balance between a minimalist background and a maximalist decor.

The name of this design stands for the panels with hidden cabinets that organize all the storage and equipments behind them.

Sketchup and CAD softwares.

This space was built over na existing terrace. This means that we had serious limitations about the kind of structure, weight, materials that would be selected. Another important aspect is the balance between a minimalist background and a maximalist decoration.

We had to collaborate with engineers specialized in concrete structures and with metal structures. To build over an existing structure was a big challenge!

Technology was important to overcome the structural challenges of building over an existing structure. Also, all the interior elements are themselves highly technological. So we could say that technology is in every aspect of an architectural project or an interior design.

This space was built over na existing terrace. This means that we had serious limitations about the kind of structure, weight, materials that would be selected.

I thought it had the right combination of aspects to be relevant in an international competition.

I started my company in 2007 focusing on residential projects. Soon afterwards, in 2008, the first corporate project was commissioned and, with this commission, my studio was open to other commercial and public designs. This led to a high diversification of activities, helping with a constant renewal of thoughts and conceptions. Nowadays I focus once again on residential projects, specially because it is possible to know and understand other realities through this kind of work.

Design is a solution to any problem in a way that is at the same time functional, beautiful and meaningful.

I have naturally specialized in residential design. To design houses and residential interiors is a fantastic way to understand other ways of living and to enhance the life of a person or a family.

It was a Café downtown in Blumenau. It was unfortunately never built.

I have always been more creative in the night, normally after midnight. That’s the time when new ideas flow loosely in my mind

I like my designs to have a meaning for my clients. This means I must understand my client’s life and references before the creative process. It is useless for ant design to be functional, beautiful but meaningless. It is the meaning that makes a designalive. And this meaning is a very subjective matter.

A design is successful when the users can have an emotional attachment to it. It is very important for a design to be useful and beautiful, but it’s the emotion that brings the ultimate success.

A designer should always understand the overall reality of a society. We are often deceived by false perceptions of a niche reality, as we frequently deal with high standards. But it's very important to understand how privileged our clients can be to be able to choose having a good design. Unfortunately, most of the population of the world can’t have access to the best standards of architecture and design. However, even when there is no access to what we understand as “high-end”, there is always the human expression through culture, tradition and non-mensurable emotional elements.

After a long period believing that function is the primordial element of a good design, I feel that finally we are all understanding that the true element of design is emotion, in all different aspects that emotion can be achieved. The future is unpredictable, but I'm sure design will be each time more integrated in the daily solutions, in a way that could be very silent, but always very meaningful.

Balance of form and materials is essential in any design.

Knowledge of proportions, knowledge of balance. A good overall knowledge of disciplines as art, music, construction, nature and history. Being curious and restless in seek of a good solution is mandatory.

I create all the basis of any design by myself. I have some collaborators that help me produce the technical drawings, material lists and budgets. But all the main creative work of my office is very personal.

Through my site www.thiagomondini.com.br, through my Instagram account @thiago_mondini