Brazilian firm MNMA has used render, wood panelling and limestone to complete the minimal aesthetic of this shoe shop in São Paulo.
The 100 sq m retail restoration project for Selo brand of handmade shoes inspired MNMA studio to create a kind of brief escapism atmosphere.The studio's core process of developing ideas from outside to inside and the pursuit of a fluid circulation led to the final layout and the sidewalk alignment as a continuum, so to offer seamless accessibility for all.
There was a desire to create a visually clear façade as an attitude of contrast for the chaotic city of São Paulo. The choice of cement slates and frameless glass reflects the urbanity but in order to achieve some lightness it was pigmented to detach from its surroundings.
The occasional furniture is composed of 50's original examples. Inside, the atrium was remodelled to deliver a rounded skylight with a clear view of the sky, not only for illumination, but also for a playful contact with nature, weather, the passage of time and to have some human scale perspective, reminding us that we share the same sky. It is inspired and celebrates some works of artist James Turrell.
