About Us

ONCE UPON A TIME

There was a young man from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, who had a passion for luxury and ambitions to travel the world. Beginning his 22 year-long career in global luxury, João Botelho worked for a prestigious Brazilian company in his hometown before deciding to chase his dreams in London, in 1994. Working with the likes of Harvey Nichols, Nicole Farhi, Jasper Conran and Donna Karan New York, João’s experiences in the fashion industry and personal fascination with architecture, inspired him to explore different sides of his creative personality through ‘design’.

To João, interior design involves having the ability to understand the relation between proportions, textures and finishes to create “sensual designs that make your heart beat faster.”

HOW IT STARTED

While João’s obsession with homeware and styling wasn’t a secret, it wasn’t until completing the redesign his four-storey townhouse in East London, that João realised how deep his passion really was. During the renovation, in collaboration with Waind Gohil Architects, João designed his own furnishings, doors and windows, customized the kitchen, TV console, vanity unit and walk-in wardrobe, as well as the concrete floating shelves and elaborate sink. João built strong relationships with local designers, home stores, contractors and architects which has become the foundation of Casa Botelho’s handmade, quality design.

HOW FAR WE’VE COME

Since the debut of The Martini Collection in March, 2016, Casa Botelho now boasts 17 of its own collections, more than 100 designs, plus collaborations with more than 10 homeware and interior designers, and a personal service that provides bespoke, made-to-order pieces – or ‘home couture’ as we like to call it. Casa Botelho’s current repertoire provides a one-stop-shop when it comes to furnishing your home, with designs for your dining, living, office, bathroom, bedroom and entryway. João believes that bespoke furniture shouldn’t exist only in one’s dreams, rather it should be accessible for every person that loves and respects quality, timeless designs.

“Our home signifies the tribe we feel we belong to; where we aim in our life’s journey; who we believe in ourselves to be, or the image we would like to project. Casual or elegant, eclectic or boho, all communicate something about our personality and our ambition.”
– João Botelho

THE WAY WE WORK

Since attending its first design show in 2017, Casa Botelho has become a highly-anticipated vendor at some of London’s largest shows, including Decorex, 100% Design, Clerkenwell Design Week, and its inaugural presentation on an international stage at Belgium Design Week. João transforms each exhibition space into a room concept, allowing guests to visualize how glamorous, bespoke furniture can fit in the confines of a modern home when customized to that home’s proportions. Casa Botelho’s most popular concepts have been the sophisticated, sensual aesthetics of the Boutique Bedroom Concept, as well as the sleek, elegant designs found in the Dining Room Concept. Casa Botelho exhibitions are a feast for all the senses.

Casa Botelho offers an utterly unique, exciting and dramatic style. João Botelho’s designs fill a gap in the industry with a form that is both strong and personal, magical and moving.

Slightly eclectic but delightfully romantic, Casa Botelho designs are glamorous, sumptuous and seductive, and will inject drama and personality into any interior. Casa Botelho designs are available in a variety of colours and textures and are therefore bespoke to each client; enabling them to craft spaces that bring their interior dreams to life.

“The Casa Botelho signature style is about being bold, exciting, fun and above all memorable.”

‘Masculine Glamour’ is Casa Botelho’s signature style. The style is a unique blend of moody tones, rich textures and symmetrical design that come together to evoke a sense of sumptuousness and sensuality. When crafting this style, João was inspired by his love of architectural detailing and Art Deco design. Influenced by symmetry and structure, a touch of splendor and opulence was added to create a luxurious, industrial chic style. ‘Masculine Glamour’ demands attention and makes the heart beat faster. Try it … if you dare.

Casa Botelho honours quality and luxury. The brands signature style embraces symmetrical design with an aura of ‘masculine glamour’ that plays with scale, light, reflective surfaces and seductive tones and textures. Symmetry is an important design element for Casa Botelho because of its cleanliness and clarity formed by the absence of inequality, complimenting colours and scaled proportions. All of these factors give João, “a real peace of mind”.

Simplistic modernity meets classical elegance as Casa Botelho’s design brings an amalgamation of Art Deco and elements of contemporary industrialism to the modern home. The collections have been named after Greek or Roman gods, as each one is inspired by the ancient symbols’ powerful attributes. In each design, you will find high-quality, luxury materials including velvet, leather, brass and hide; elegant, clean lines; sumptuous, contrasting textures; and handmade craftsmanship with impeccable attention to detail.

‘Made in Britain’. To achieve the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship, Casa Botelho is dedicated to supporting local artisans and businesses in the United Kingdom. João works closely with the craftsmen and the client, and together they create and personalize each piece, mixing and matching Casa Botelho’s selection of luxe materials and finishes, and making sure they have the best materials on the market. The result from this close collaboration is to create a personalized piece that the client feels they’ve been involved in, and that meets their exact desires and needs with exceptional attention to detail. Every item is “made to last forever”.

Each Casa Botelho design is a declaration of tenderness.
“Our artisans put a bit of his or her heart and soul into each part of the item. The metal worker calls it ‘my piece’. The powder coater calls it ‘my piece’. And I call it ‘my piece too’, until the day the item is put together and is delivered to our client and it becomes ‘their piece.”

– João Botelho

Glamorous design and dramatic tones are what Casa Botelho is known for, however comfort & versatility is just as important as aesthetic. Casa Botelho collections are full of inviting armchairs, cosy sofas, sumptuous cushions, ottomans at the perfect height for resting your feet, and martini tables to make sure your drink is always within reach.

“Expressive, versatile and function – each Casa Botelho furniture design is an ode to the senses”

– João Botelho

“While working on the renovation of our townhouse, we bought some pieces from João, and were really inspired by his vision and bold yet elegant designs. We sought his design advice, and his recommendations have helped turn our house into a beautiful home which is a joy to live in. In addition to his vision, João is friendly, easy to work with and truly cares about delivering the highest level of service you can imagine. We highly recommend him and will for sure use his talents again in our next projects.”

Thomas Borsje

“Joao Botelho is a professional in every sense of the word and an absolute pleasure to work with. His artistic vision, eye for detail and outstanding furniture completely transformed a very difficult room into an exciting and glamorous entertaining space. He is able to provide simple yet marvellous touches with inspired bespoke design pieces that add “wow factor” to any room. He has got immense talent and we really can’t recommend his exceptional customer service, elegant furniture and affable demeanour highly enough. Thank you Joao!”

Susanne Walton

“João has an incredible eye for beauty, detail and design. His appreciation of architecture, furniture, fashion, materials and textiles make his style truly unique. Working with him has been such an inspiration. His ability to transform the normal to the very beautiful is instinctive in his approach, something he has finely tuned over the years. Our project wasn’t an easy one given the mixed periods throughout, however João’s ability to bring harmony to the entire home came through many bespoke pieces of furniture which added a touch of sophisticated glamour to every room. ”

Sadie Tew
President Direct to Consumer Ralph Lauren

“João has a rigour and eye for detail that sets him apart from other designers. His passion is matched with a determination to have his vision realised. These qualities, combined with impeccable taste, appreciation of craftsmanship, extensive knowledge of finishes, materials and lighting along with his collaborative approach, has led to designs that we have worked on together evolving to be unique and beautiful”

Philip Waind
RIBA ACA FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

The most wonderful connoisseur I have had the pleasure of knowing, João is refreshingly humble in his amalgamative approach towards interior conceptualization. Drawing from his ample and truly diverse skill set, he is a master of aesthetic appeal evident in the maturity of his output. Distinguished by the synergetic manner he adopts, I look forward to the promising future of Casa Botelho as well as the continued pleasure of working towards the provision of valuable luxury to all those who entrust us with the task”

Minhal Sadiq Saigol
AURUM HOME
Founder & Creative Director

“It has been a pleasure to work with Casa Botelho. Their confident design signature is clean and rich, combining modernist and antique elements and employing unusual textural combinations. Their creations are subtle interiors that are highly satisfying to live in and use. With Casa Botelho, every design aspect is considered and highly functional, driven by an uncompromising eye for detail and finish”

Nick Ford
Managing director Pipsqueak Architectural

“I am delighted that Loxone was chosen as the home automation system for Casa Botelho and that Autopilot Living can be showcased in such a breathtaking setting. I’ve yet to meet someone who rivals João’s passion and skill for using lighting to create drama and intrigue in a home.

The fact that Loxone was selected as the system of choice for such a statement home is testimony to its ability to enhance interior design, rather than compete with it. To me, smart home technology should not be about overcomplicated gadgetry or obtrusive control panels. Instead, the personality and character of a home should take centre stage, as it does in Casa Botelho.”

Philipp Schuster
Managing Director, Loxone UK

“I have known Joao for a number of years and watched with amazement as he took on demanding design projects, fully translated the customer’s needs and delivered beautifully executed projects on time and to budget. Joao, never forsakes taste or quality, while juggling the many conflicting elements of design, budget and times scales.

Additionally, although Joao has a style, he also had the ability to assist the client to express their own style, so at the completion of a project, the client is left with a home that represents them.

I cannot recommend Joao highly enough!”

Shannon de Boissard
Founding Partner & CEO
Percy & Reed Product Limited

“Joao of Casa Botelho was an absolute joy to work with. He had immediate clarity of vision, but never failed to consider our thoughts as clients. He advised on colour schemes, furniture and lighting choices, de-cluttering and introducing touches of luxe as he went along. Our much-loved family home of thirty years, had good ‘bone structure’ but was extremely tired. Joao totally transformed the feeling of the house, yet managed to stay totally within our budget. He has an incredible sense of style, but even more crucially, has amazing people skills. Joao was unfailingly patient and charming – key qualities when you are dealing with clients who want a transformation but are nervous about radical change! We couldn’t be happier with the transformative effect of his input.”

Sian Cox
Private Client

“Working with João was such a joy. His design ideas and suggestions are unique, one-of-a-kind and extremely thoughtful. He is a great listener, detailed oriented and has the ability to create exceptional luxe designs that are sophisticated and timeless. I loved every minute of the process.”

Debra Blair

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ONCE UPON A TIME

HOW IT STARTED

HOW FAR WE’VE COME

THE WAY WE WORK