Luisa Ferreira she is almost always the first to wake up in her house. As soon as she gets up, she performs some rituals of ayurveda, prepares breakfast, makes notes in the diary, lists the family’s tasks and indulges in the pleasure of reading a book. And all this, often before 8 am.
The organized routine may sound utopian to many people, and for Luísa it was also like that a few years ago. It was only through discipline that the content creator from Minas Gerais was able to implement significant changes in her daily life. And understanding the home as part of this movement made all the difference.
“The environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior”, says James Clear in the book Atomic Habits, a favorite
de Lu, as she is known by her almost 800,000 followers on her profile @lutsferreira and more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
The hammock placed in the room, for example, became a space dedicated to reading. “One of the tools we have to start a new habit is to associate it with a specific environment, preparing it to perform this ritual. So, when I sit on the hammock, I already think about the book I’m going to read, because that’s my reading space”, explains the mother of Bia, 7 years old.
“I live a moment of gratitude. I come in here and I love everything, I don’t care about the old stuff. This coming to São Paulo is a transition of a cycle”
Lu Ferreira
Preparing the rooms for the evening ritual, for example, was one of the ways he found to ease the sleepless nights caused by insomnia.
“Here at home, the lighting is all indirect. At night, I start turning off all the main lights. That way, I can ‘turn off’ and have quality sleep”, says the influencer, who has already shared several videos about the anxiety disorder, explaining how the routine was one of the factors that helped her with improvements in her mental health.
The move from Belo Horizonte — where he was born and lived until July last year — to São Paulo was seen as a new beginning for the family. Luísa and her husband, the photographer Leo Hortawork together and moved to the capital of São Paulo to facilitate professional demands, which ended up being compromised by the shuttle between the two cities.
Like a blank canvas full of opportunities, the large apartment in Higienópolis soon became home. Luísa, who had just ventured into a complete renovation of her old house in Minas, decided to let things happen more organically this time.
The family’s previous apartment was designed so that the rooms presented a unit, with brighter paint tones and following a palette. As for the house in São Paulo, the designer chose to add a few things in order to enhance the particularities of the structure.
“The architectural elements are already quite interesting, with the pillars and the big window; so I didn’t want anything that would fight it, on the contrary, I wanted to value it, because that was the characteristic that enchanted me in this apartment, ”he says.
WHEN EVERYTHING WAS MASS
“The feeling it gives me is one of disbelief. I value being able to live according to priorities that I have defined”
Lu Ferreira
A “root” blogger, Lu Ferreira created her blog, the Chata de Galocha, in 2007, to have a space to share your thoughts (as were blogs in their beginnings: veritable open diaries for anyone to access). Thus, she became one of the first female bloggers
famous in Brazil.
Despite the title, the do it yourself not Luisa’s type. It continues to use its reach to do what it has been doing since its inception, which is to share experiences that may be useful for those on the other side. This can range from travel itineraries to essentialism tips – but there’s also plenty of room to share your passion for décor.
“I’m not one to get my hands dirty, but I value a well-planned environment. When the house is designed for those who are going to live in it, in addition to the aesthetic issue, you gain quality of life, as it is planned to suit you and reflect who you are”, says she, who has a degree in graphic design, but carries an old dream to study architecture.
“In Beagá, before we moved, we were in a space that was meticulously planned. I arrived here and came across an old apartment, which is not mine. At the same time, I think I’m in a phase where I want to be less rigid, so I embraced the fact that I didn’t want to make big changes, but without forgetting to bring a little bit of ourselves”, he reports.
These details that tell of the family’s life appear in the house through a few pieces of furniture, all handpicked, and mainly by the framed paintings in the living room. The largest work, installed next to the dining table, is by the miner @vvitorpaiva. The piece was commissioned by Luísa and hides the lyrics of her daughter’s favorite song. The technique involves collage with strips stamped with typography, which are deconstructed by the artist.
On the other hand, a reproduction of the Church of São Francisco de Assis in Pampulha, heritage of the capital of Minas Gerais and one of Luísa’s favorite spots in the city. The painting had belonged to her father since he was in college, then passed to Luísa when they moved into their first apartment.
The one with the word “trust” also comes from a place of affection. The collage belonged to the book project disheveledfrom the writer and also influencer Mistletoe Foal, but the concept was modified and the collage became a painting in Lu’s hands, with the affection that only a great friend and admirer would have. “It is an image that ended up being marked for me due to the pandemic. This thing of having breakfast reading a ‘trust’ every day…”
The words “I don’t want to be incredible, I want to be happy” came from a publication made by calligrapher Fabio Maca, which even became inspiration for a text published by the influencer on her blog. “It was a text that I wrote with great emotion and it even went viral. The artist ended up sending me the engraving that originated all of this.”
LOVE SPACE
With the exception of rooms guided by a decor in the slow living it was Bia’s little room. Like any mother motivated by love and the excitement of seeing her daughter’s eyes shine, Luísa wanted to think about every detail in the room. With the help of architect Gabi Marques, the quarto it was designed based on a playful theme and that, above all, it was a learning and fun environment.
“I want to enjoy it while she’s a kid and it still makes sense. One of the cool things about having a child is that we make our childhood dreams come true, so she already had a slide bed, now she has a swing in the middle of the room… And how great that she can have that, how fun!” if the mother.
The theme of animals came from the girl’s interest in this universe: her favorites are felines. In addition to the cat-shaped bed, animals appear in the colorful wallpaper and also in Bibia’s many books, which since she learned to read she has never stopped venturing into literature.
“One of the priorities was a large bookcase to fit all her books. We put cushions on the floor so she can sit by the window and read, and she really uses it,” she says. Another idea of the project’s architect was to arrange the furniture in such a way as to leave a free area in the center of the room. “Turns and moves she’s with a little friend, sprawled on the floor, drawing.”
You know that feeling of being more excited to give someone a gift than to receive the gift itself? This is exactly how Luísa felt when she saw the girl’s reaction when she entered the room.
“We’ve already gone through some room changes, and from crib to bed. This process is always pleasant because we create an expectation, and Bia is a very grateful child, she always has a ‘wow’ reaction. I have enjoyed this phase well, before she grows up and chooses things for herself.”
And so the happy memories of childhood are being built…