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ABOUT THIS HOTEL

• DESCRIPTION
• FACILITIES
• ARCHITECTURE / DESIGN
• MEET THE ORIGINAL

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ARCHITECTURE / DESIGN

Otavio Raja Gabaglia
Luiz Fernando Grabowsky

Otavio Raja Gabaglia is the celebrated Brazilian architect who Emmanuelle de Clermont Tonnerre brought in to transform her beachfront home into a boutique hotel. Gabaglia’s combination of wooden beams, terracotta roof tiles, and glass with a restricted height of 2 stories means the hotel integrates itself perfectly into nature. Gabaglia’s 2-story designs have actually now become local architectural law and Buzios itself has kept much of its original charm; at its heart it’s still the tiny fishing village that Brigitte Bardot fell in love with in the 1960s.

Typical Brazilian materials, such as wood and Portuguese stone, were given preference at Insólito, together with the local native flora. The hotel looks out over the Atlantic Ocean, which serves as a playground for wakeboarding, sailing and windsurfing aficionados.

The interior space was modernized in 2006, by the Rio de Janiero-based architect and decorator Luiz Fernando Grabowsky. He brought in sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows and increased the number of terraces, giving the rooms and suites the feeling of more air and space. In 2007, the landscape gardener Anouck Barcat joined the team and is responsible for the tropical flowers and lush plant life that you see all over Insólito. The result is a thoroughly modern hotel that still feels at one with nature.

Being socially responsible and always working with sustainable companies is of the utmost importance to Emmanuelle. Consequently all of Insólito’s furniture is made by Brazilian companies who only use rough, recycled or certified wood – the perfect silent protest to deforestation. The same goes for the furniture found in the hotel’s 3000 square meter Beach Lounge, which is made by licensed wood while the bar is a stunning focal-piece that’s carved from a 1000-year old tree root.

Insólito’s interior is an intriguing journey through Brazil’s culture that’s full of energizing colors and fascinating stories. The rooms and suites are split across four different houses: Casa Cultura Negra, Casa Terra-Brazil, Casa Fotografia e Literature and Casa de Musica, with each room’s theme celebrated throughout the furniture, photography, paintings and design details. Emmanuelle traveled all over Brazil searching for the right art pieces and collectables with which to furnish the Insolito. There’s George Nelson chairs, recycled rubber carpets by Cecelia Machado and a wooden sofa sculpture made by Elma Chavez. These unique bespoke pieces sit comfortably amongst the photos, graphics and artwork done by both famous and local Brazilian artists and designers. Insolito clearly revels in its Brazilian personality whilst being proud of its natural setting and the luxuries it can offer its guests. As Emmanuelle says herself, “it’s all about offering a luxury that’s socially acceptable”.