2021-03-28

Life in Brasil > The week in Penedo

The front and back of the bamboo sofa structure leaning against the veranda wall. 




We talked about in for almost a 
year and this week it 
came to pass : 

Our Bamboo Furniture Workshop. 

After cutting and drying 
the bamboo, 
Carpenter Rick Viola 
have started the work 
with a rustic sofa. 



the veranda roof of Casa da Ilha



The fresh vegetable market
by the river
in Resende is
open on sundays. 





 Tomate de Arvore or Tomatillo 
and Jilo are new for me. 
There are a lot of new tastes and textures to try.   



'





Masked outside the tiny Airport. 




We came by an old airport 
from the 1940
 in the middle 
of Resende 
that is used mostly 
for small 
private planes and 
sky divers of all kinds. 





Airport from the 1940´s in Resende. 


Every week there is a 
new flower or plant 
I discover in the 
garden at Casa da Ilha



Bastao do Imperador or Torch Ginger has become a favorite to photograph..

The Garden here at Casa da Ilha 
is huge
 and there is always 
something new to discover. 


Tomate de arvore on the black ceramic plates outside the
kitchen veranda where the pumpkins grow. 


Bamboo Furniture Workshop at Casa da Ilha.


When the sofa structure is ready 
I will enforce the joints with sisal 
rope more for design reasons, 
is the idea. 

We will see how that 
will work out.




Started the Textile, Color and Details Update textile face
 with hanging the just made curtains at 
Hotel Pequena Suecia on wednesday 
evening in 30 degrees celsius was a good workout. 


Hanging curtains at 330 cm height




The terrace at Blekinge room 13




Blekinge room 13 at Pequena Suecia

By simplifying the color choices and creating a painted headboard with a wooden frame. A new back pillow was constructed along with the semi bed cover and new curtains to match. 


Our first room is a test to see what strategy to use in the coming over individual designed 20 rooms we will update slowly but surely. 




Room Blekinge 13 Pequena Suecia

An open fireplace in the bedroom. 

Room Blekinge has a living 
room and a bedroom as well as a 
small roofed terrace and a mini garden. 


Bucha in a bamboo basket

The veranda is where the 
action is but 
Branco 
manage to lounge anyway. 
most of the time...






Bamboo connection


A week with work at the hotel as well as learning so much about bamboo is really a dream come true. I am so lucky to have found work here in Brasil that I love to do.

 Below you see Bucha pods that have been 
cleaned at the lay in the sun to dry. 
In the shade at the veranda you see the 
Bamboo result of our Furniture Workshop.

If I can create what I would like from this 
sponge material that Bucha is I 
am going to be very content. 

The plan is to make a 
type of organic pendant  
design using Bucha 
as the main material. 


Stay in touch 

Wishing you a good 
week from Penedo, 



Jimmy 





Bucha drying in the afternoon sun. 

 

2021-03-22

Life in Brasil >The week in Penedo.

Our cats Cattis and Branco love the green metal chairs. 





The 20th of April it will be exactly one year 
ago I arrived in Penedo,Brasil.
 
Yes I insist spelling Brasil in Português. 
Penedo is a small city in the Mountains 
2 and a half hour drive 
from Rio de Janeiro where my 
husband and I live and work since 
April of last year. 

And yes. 
We are more thankful for having both 
work and a home in times like this. 


Outdoor shower by the sauna



It took a long time but 
finally the sauna 
is all done. 




Our Sauna is in function at last


We built from scratch and insisted in trying to upcycle a 
steel container into a sauna wood fire stove. 


It was a bit troublesome and we 
made misstakes ,which we now 
have corrected thanks to our Blacksmith. 


Now the stones are in 
place on top and we 
fire up almost every 
night. 




We now have fall in Penedo and 
winter is coming. 
Winter means lower 
temperatures at night and in 
the mornings especially since 
we are in the mountains at 
1000 meter above sea level.

So a sauna comes in good use.  


Borboleta is butterfly in Português. Yes I am learning a new language



All of the insects and animals and plants 
that I encounter for the first time is endless.

The Bucha plant cut open below is part of a 
new organic product project.




Planted and now harvesting, 
cleaning and drying 
Bucha 
called Luffa Cylindrica. 







Outdoor indoor feeling 
in the living room in our home in 
Penedo at Casa da Ilha, 
which is what we call our home and studio.  





Working with a art project where the Ampula family and I 
are creating a gallery space for the art of Eila Ampula. 
The art carpet on the wall in our living room in brown is 
created by Eila Ampula. Slowly we work towards 
being able to open when the Pandemic allows 
in the old Studio 
now owned by Ampula family. 


Over our living room sofa you see a corner of a
Eila Ampula art carpet
 at Casa da Ilha 


Lighting a lot of candles 
right now. 
Do you?
 


A dream came true 
in performing 
our show 
Nossa Bossa at 
Nossa Bossa is Sanny Alves, 
Marlon Mouzer and I. 




Started a Color, 
Textile and Details Update 

Check my insta for 






Let's have a good week 

Stay in touch


Jimmy