A São Paulo Apartment Filled with Artwork by Brazil’s Most Famed Artists

A common thread we noticed as we zigzagged through Brazil shooting beautiful home decor and closets (stay tuned for those!) was the sheer size of every home we stepped into. These aren’t your West Village apartments. The first home we entered in São Paulo belonged to fine jewelry designer Yael Sonia. While we marveled at the great open layout and admired all of the beautiful wood detailing on the walls and shelves, Sonia explained to us that it was actually pretty difficult to find a place as small as this. (Small in São Paulo terms = a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, roughly around 1000-square-feet space).

We quickly learned that Sonia, whose collection of intricate and sculptural precious metal jewels, has a good eye for beautiful things that extends farther than fine jewelry. Her affinity for art, which covered every wall of her home, was passed down from her parents, who were art collectors, and her love of gemstones was inherited from her mother, who was a gemologist. A few key pieces, like the buttery leather Brazilian-designed lounge chair that sits in her living room, and the art deco tea set, were handed down by them. 

Click through the below gallery to read about why Sonia said no to a 4,000-square-foot space and the details behind her parents’ art collection.