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SAARANHA&VASCONCELOS

In Profile: SAARANHA&VASCONCELOS

SAARANHA&VASCONCELOS have been shortlisted for Regeneration/Restoration Award and Interior Design Scheme – Europe Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2022. Read more about CO-CEO’s & Founders Carmo Aranha & Rosário Tello below:


SA&V

Name: Carmo Aranha & Rosário Tello

Company: SAARANHA&VASCONCELOS

Position within company: CO-CEO’s & Founders

Website: https://saaranhavasconcelos.pt/

Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc.)

Back in the 80’s, a result of the trips we made and the will and determination to create objects that would make a difference, we started with the design of product lines, home and lifestyle seasonal collections in a wide range of materials: acrylic, metal, stone or wood. As our success grew in this area, where we showed creativity and boldness, invitations soon arrived to create ambiances in the residential area. Project after project, we gained experience in the fields of architecture and interior design and the admiration for the work done ended up generating invitations from business and commercial areas.

SA&V is currently considered a top brand in the area of architecture and interior design, synonymous with creativity, exclusivity, sophistication, contemporaneity and a strong connection to art. Tailor-made projects, which focus on exceeding and personalising our clients’ dreams, play a decisive role in placing the brand at the level it has achieved today. Attention to detail makes it an exemplary and easily identifiable brand.

How would you describe your personal design style?

Our design work is similar to that of a Head Chef. The ingredients already exist but the creativity with which we mix them is what makes the difference.

Breaking rules and creating with boldness and difference is definitively a trend.

Things don’t necessarily have to make a perfect match and this is one of our hallmarks: mixing different objects, Art, colours and styles.

Where does your design inspiration come from?

Everything inspires us. We’ve received a great deal of inspiration from names of the arts, music, literature, design, architecture and fashion as well as everyday objects. Just as we have from our journeys around the world.

Also the local artisans and small manufacturers are such an enormous source of inspiration. Life itself is an inspiration.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?

In recent years there has been a huge technological evolution, difficult even at times to follow, linked to all areas and also to design.

With regard to design, we highlight the way in which this technological evolution manifests itself both with regard to new materials but also in the adaptation to well-being in general.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2022 and beyond.

Sustainability.

Being able to present the best possible solutions for the new reality of working and living better at home.

Understanding new families and their needs and welcoming them in the best possible way in the spaces we create, through adaptable architecture and interiors.

Appreciate our incredible team.

Always maintain extreme attention to detail.

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?

To create a story in our mind and let it flow until the very last detail.

At SA&V our work is ruled by 10 commandments that lead to the final and most important one: Ambience.

  1. Layout

A good layout creates illusion. It may even make the most of defects and really maximise the qualities of each space.

  • Theme

As a starting point it makes projects happen.

  • Colour

Whether it’s contrasting or continuous, colour determines the ambience.

  • Light

Natural or artificial, it’s what brings the magic.

  • Proportion

Overdoing size, either by too little or too much, is what creates the modern. Balancing dimensions makes the classic. Carefully done, this contrast can be the master touch.

  • Comfort

It’s what invites us in. Without comfort, everything’s static.

  • Repetition

Multiplying the elements always causes an impact.

  • Mixture

Whether it’s a mix of styles, colours, shapes, textures or patterns, it’s always enriching.

  • Detail

Without a doubt, it’s the final touch that makes all the difference.

  1. Art

Special pieces and contemporary art make each space unique.

  1. Ambience

By combining the eleven commandments, we achieve the 12th, and that’s when we feel good.

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?

It is always important to be recognised, especially with a project that gave us immense pleasure to do.

All this brings with it even greater desire for perfection, wanting to do more and better, and is the affirmation of our already 35-year-old path.

What projects are you currently working on?

An Estate in Sintra, a Penthouse in the most luxurious building in Lisbon, the entire Administration Area of ​​a bank, a unique retreat in Comporta and an Art Gallery in Algarve’s golden triangle.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?

The projects that we most like to create and that challenge us the most are those in which we achieve a close connection with the client and in which we are able to put all our soul into.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?

Every new project is a new challenge, because it is a new story to be told.

This said, we believe that all our International projects are always the biggest challenges. Our team and some suppliers go on site and spend several weeks away from home, literally living on site in order to make each project come to perfection prior to completion. These international works also require an adaptation to different cultures and bringing them to our mental environment makes everything very enriching.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?

Art, Inspiration, physical samples of all the materials we work with, so that we can feel what sensations they are capable of causing us and, without a doubt, our tireless and extraordinary team!

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?

The great challenge in times of constant change like the ones we live in is to have a clear strategy for our direction and giving nothing for granted. Maintaining the SA&V brand with the level of excellence we set to ourselves means

continuing to provide a service to our clients in which nothing has been left to chance, in which everything we do for the benefit of projects is always the best we can do.

That’s why we keep our clients satisfied. That’s why we conquer new clients and new projects. That’s why we have as our Brand signature – NOTHING LESS. We don’t do it for less.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?

The friendship that unites us, the two partners, for over 40 years, the relationship with others, which makes us understand friendship as a form of exceptional love and brings us moments of great happiness, our family.

Your favourite holiday destination?

Places where we can learn something. Whatever it is.

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?

Hotel: Kisawa Sanctuary – Mozambique

Restaurant: The new private dining room at Hotel Le Meurice – Paris

Bar: The Bar at Baccarat Hotel – New York

Your favourite book, film & song?

Book: “The Grapes of Wrath” – John Steinbeck

Movie: “Out of Africa” – Sydney Pollack

Song: “Caruso” performed by Lara Fabian

Your favourite food and drink?

Natural seafood and a glass of white Douro’s wine

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?

Museum and shopping

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?

Rosário would love to have been an architect, musician, economist or historian.

Carmo, on the other hand, knew from a very young age that her path would involve managing both companies and people. She ended up doing both.

SAARANHA&VASCONCELOS Shortlisted for Regeneration/Restoration Award and Interior Design Scheme – Europe Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2022.


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