Casa Lilaya, Alan Chu's minimalist country house near Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil

Alto Paraíso de Goiás, near Brazil's Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, draws a particular kind of ecotourist: the area is known for its mystical associations, put down to the crystals that run through the local soil. Here, beside a river and surrounded by Cerrado scrub, architect Alan Chu has built Casa Lilaya, a country retreat that sits so low in its clearing you only notice it up close.

The client wanted something simple and affordable, and Chu answered with a single-storey, two-bedroom volume split into quadrants. Each has its own orientation and view, which Chu describes as at least four different "moments in time" without adding floor area. The house is raised off the ground against the long dry season and the rains, a move that recalls some Japanese house types.

The detail you'd remember is the wall: 80cm thick and 31 metres long, it reaches out to guide visitors to the door, then runs right through the house as bench, kitchen counter, shelving, porch and wardrobes. Inside, terracotta, cement and solid wood keep the palette quiet, and floor-to-ceiling glass lets the landscape do the talking.

It's a private home, so this one is for reading rather than visiting, and a good one for anyone tired of the usual country-cabin look.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 27 October 2026. Read the original

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