Interior Design Across Cities & Countries – Conversation with Cristiana Mascarenhas, InPlus Inc.

“Always listening to the client and never saying no, but later convincing them other wise” is one of the most memorable advises that Cristiana Mascarenhas, awarded Brazilian interior designer, left behind after her inspiring and colorful presentation of her work organized by LA.IDEA|DC at the District Architecture Center on November 18, 2019.

Taking us on a visual journey of her work from 1 bedroom to 2 bedroom apartments and larger in New York City, Paris, Miami, and Brazil, Cristiana was able to capture the audience attention with her meticulous selection of furniture pieces, architectural details, and owner’s existing collection in order to create her compositions. Mascarenhas not only showed beautiful images that could be in the pages of interior design magazines, she explained her process of design and relationship with her clients in order to create functional spaces.

Some of the most influential design characteristics of Mascarenhas’s work are her built-in gypsum shelving’s that she has learned to perfect throughout her extensive portfolio. The use of lighting, textures, materials and surfaces are very influential in her work. When asked about her process of designing with existing pieces of art or owner’s furniture, Mascarenhas’s shared multiple examples in which a piece of furniture has become the centerpiece of a space or a painting has created the architectural composition for a wall. At the end of the presentation, Cristiana was able to share her design sensibility and adaptive nature with the attendees.

The lecture was opened by LA.IDEA’s Co-Chair, Juliane Trindade, who presented our special speaker and introduced her to attendees. Paul Clemence, Archi.photo, provided video and photography for the event. Special thanks to Denise de Alcantara-Hochbaum for coordinating and making sure that “Interior Design Across Cities and Countries with Cristiana Mascarenhas” was a success.