Fru Form

As a warm-up for the Rio + Design we were invited to the studio of Indo da Costa Design. A large impressive studio for Architecture, Urbanism, Transport and design. Our host, young and talented designer Guto Indio da Costa showed us around in their beautiful studio, with floating offices half outside, half inside. Originally his father Indo ca Costa, who is a well known architect started a company for architecture. Since 15 years design has been added, with focus on Transport and other product design. Urbanism is the area where the design and architecture meet. Today some 40 people work in the office, and we got to see some amazing projects. I was so happy to come to Rio de Janeiro, to meet all this open and warm Brazilian hospitality and informality, and they convinced me to speak Portuguese in my speech the next day. Quite a challenge. Met several of the key people in the event this evening.

Cozy bar and meeting place in the office - the red chairs are a product of Guto Indio da Costa

Some of the young staff - always with some international exchange designers - still working away in the evening - half the wall open directly into the surrounding nature. The fan in the roof is also a product of the office, which I have found all over in Rio now that I start looking - even here in my hotel. Just learned that this product has been sold in 500.000 copies here in Brazil - already an icon

Architectural projects - prototypes - like beautiful art works on the wall. This is I belive a plan for a Marine Biology center at sea.

Paula Fiuza Mederios, industrial designer, now working with communication at the Indiodacosta studio, shows us around

Our host, Guto Idio da Costa with guest Candida Fernandes, who said she works with body design - on her card it says "communicacao essencial" communication and body! Didn't have a chance to ask her more, but sounds exciting.

From the left, my host Luiz Antonio Barros, graphic designer and coordinator for design in the Governement of Rio state, here with designer Gilson Martins, Dulce Ângela Procópio de Carvalho, the undersecretary of the State of Rio for economic development who is actually running all the design promotion for the Rio Government - all the designers are grateful for her efforts. 

Designer Kiko, Francisco Rezende and professor Claudio Freitas de Magalhaes, doing research and teaching at PUC Rio, department of art and design. Discussed with them how useful the informal and sometimes chaotic brazilian style, actually helps the interdisciplinary work between art, design, architecture, design management etc. Open doors and floating rules.