Everyone needs a fantasy

Filled with pop art by Warhol and his contemporaries, this gallery-like family home in São Paulo is always ready for a party

With a DJ owner, this pop art-filled apartment in Brazil is always ready for a party

Since moving into this sixth-floor apartment in the centre of São Paulo, Houssein Jarouche has changed the furniture around perhaps once every three months. This chronic indecisiveness is understandable when you discover that, as founder of the city’s celebrated design store Micasa – as well as being a prolific artist and DJ – he has access to near-endless inspiration.

‘Every time I’m at an auction or a vintage store, I see something and think “Wow, I want to put this in my home,”’ he explains. ‘It makes it impossible to keep things the same.’

And it’s not just the furniture that’s changing. After moving into the three-bedroom flat with his wife Fabiana, a model and founder of upcycled fashion label FM_86, and children Aly and Nathalia in 2018, another member has been added to the family: five-month-old Amir.

Open-plan, painted a stark, gallery-like white and filled with some of the finest examples of furniture design – from mid-century Brazilian classics to pieces by Houssein’s hero Jean Prouvé and future icons by the likes of Patricia Urquiola – this home may seem like an ambitious choice for a couple with young children. And that’s before we mention the art collection. Everywhere you look you will see examples of Brazil’s radical concretism movement and original pop art – including the Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol that started this expansive collection when Houssein picked it up in New York back in 2005.

The couple have a cunning plan to keep these precious artworks away from sticky fingers, though. They simply hang them higher, out of reach. Not that they need to worry when it comes to Aly. ‘When friends come over to our apartment, he’ll tell them “This is art. Don’t touch it!”’ says Houssein, laughing. ‘He’s the bodyguard for my collection.’

Alongside these bold, bright masterpieces, you’ll also spot items that speak to Houssein’s Lebanese heritage. His parents moved to Brazil in 1952 and his father set up a furniture shop in a village on the outskirts of the city. ‘Today, all of my brothers still work with furniture, but I am the only one interested in design,’ says Houssein, reflecting on this legacy. ‘I am a part of this change in São Paulo. Twenty years ago, before I set up my store, customers here didn’t know about design. There are the classic Brazilian pieces of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but after that the focus was on copying what had gone before. I think I have helped to change people’s perception of design and how important it is.’

When he’s not working to encourage up-and-coming local design talent or overseeing the Micasa showroom and exhibitions, which cover all of his passions from furniture to art and architecture, Houssein loves to party. The set of decks and vast stash of vinyl in his home attest to that. ‘It can be difficult in a building like this with neighbours,’ he admits, ‘but they like the music, so they don’t complain.’ micasa.com.br

Opposite The gold seat, seen in this view of the living room, is the ‘Leda’ sculpture by Salvador Dalí for BD Barcelona. Above it, the portrait, Gender, is a collaboration between homeowner Houssein Jarouche and Abidiel Vicente. Through the open doorway, a large oil canvas by Luiz Zerbini hangs on the wall This page An ‘Eames Lounge Chair’ by Charles and Ray Eames and a ‘Freeform’ sofa with ottoman by Isamu Noguchi, both for Vitra, surround a vintage coffee table. The red rug was bought in Turkey and the colourful side chair is the ‘Stitch’ by Adam Goodrum for Cappellini. Three wooden ‘Eames’ stools by Charles and Ray Eames are placed by the window, beside a Warhol cigarette box – another collaboration between Houssein and Abidiel. The quintych on the wall is Houssein’s own work, made using tape ➤

DJ area A portrait of Sid Vicious by Russell Young hangs above Houssein’s decks, where he and his wife Fabiana browse some of his vinyl collection Living room This space is filled with an assembly of iconic chairs. There’s the ‘Kilin’ armchair from 1973 by Sergio Rodrigues for Oca Industries, the 1960s ‘Tonico’ chair, also by Rodrigues, ‘Zeca’ by José Zanine Caldas and ‘Fauteuil de Salon’ by Jean Prouvé for Vitra. The geometric rug is Moroccan and the floor lamp is a vintage industrial piece. At the middle of it all sit two vintage tables; the ‘Contract’ by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, and the other made of jacaranda wood and cane. The artworks on the wall include a diamond-shaped painting by Raymundo Collares, as well as those by Frank Stella, Frank Roth and Maurício Nogueira Lima

Gallery wall The ‘Lehnstuhl’ chair by Nigel Coates for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna and a vintage Brazilian bench are placed in front of this impressive array of artwork, which includes two pieces by Allan D’Arcangelo, closest to the chair. The white, brown and yellow work is by Maurício Nogueira Lima, below it is a print from Judith Lauand. The four geometric black and white prints are by Hércules Barsotti and the Killer’s Porn Fakes piece is by Abidiel Vicente

Kitchen Placed against the cast-concrete island is a ‘Trapèze’ dining table by Jean Prouvé for Vitra with space for large parties. The chairs are the ‘Standard’ by Jean Prouvé, also from Vitra. On the concrete countertop sits the Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol that began Houssein’s art collection. Grey plastic sheeting hangs in the doorway in place of a door, lending the space a factory feel inspired by Warhol’s famous workspace

Bedroom Isamu Noguchi’s ‘Akari’ floor lamp for Vitra sits to one side of the bed, which is upholstered in Raf Simons wool. The Astronauta artwork, created by Houssein in collaboration with Abidiel, sits above a storage unit bought in a flea market, which acts as a bedside table. The two prints above the bed are the Love Letters by Robert Indiana. The armchair is the ‘Fauteuil de Salon’ by Jean Prouvé for Vitra See Stockists page for details