5 Sólidos – Overlapping 5 creative disciplines for a holistic approach to design

Based in Medellín, Colombia, 5 Sólidos is a creative studio formed by a multidisciplinary team that aims towards a holistic approach to interior design, architecture, branding, furniture, and project direction.

Their signature aesthetic and style is the product of the beautiful integration of the 5 fields in which they focus, and their talent and fresh perspective have not only led them to create internationally recognized projects but also showcase the incredible talent of Latin American designers.

DesignWanted was given the opportunity to interview the Colombian studio and get some insights into their professional processes, their relationship with clients, as well as their background story and values as a team.

Why Cinco Sólidos, why focusing on architecture, interiors, furniture, branding and project management?

5 Sólidos: “Because we believe that by joining these five variables, we are able to have a holistic approach to design.

This is a process that has been clear for us as a company since it began, but has become more detailed and sophisticated as we understand the impact each variable has on the end result of each project.

This has always kept our process ever-evolving and has helped us grow in order to meet higher standards every time.

Creating amazing projects has always been our purpose, as simple as it may sound.

Doing so with dedicated and talented people is the only way we are able to execute this process.

Understanding the impact design has over people and their experience becomes the biggest influence to our approach to design. It becomes the structure that helps us create experiences that redefine what a home is, to become a place that is completely thought for the people who will inhabit them.

Spaces are being made to suit the people who will live in them in every way. We understand each lifestyle, each personality, and each taste, and become “facilitators” to exponentiate their dream spaces.”

With a constant experimentation in the field of architecture and design, which are the main values, core concepts or style inclinations that, above all, will always represent Cinco Sólidos?

5 Sólidos: “We’ve actually been doing some meetings to talk about who we are as a company and how we want to present ourselves to the world, and one of the most interesting findings during these conversations is that more than a design studio, we are a design LAB.

Experimentation will always have a tremendous influence in the field. As a company, we try to absorb as much as we can when it comes to new technology, material development, trends, but remain honest to the client’s needs without compromising our aesthetic values.

Each project embodies values that we believe are the core of our design ethos, simplicity and elegance with an edge.

We emphasize on having a balance between local craftsmanship and designer pieces, always keeping quality, tactility and materiality as our primary focus.

Architecture becomes thoughtful, essential and unique to every detail, cohesive with both its context and its inhabitants.”

Cinco Sólidos projects present clean lines and a predominant use of wood juxtaposed with natural materials and textures. Which designers or architects are you inspired by? What other fields and inputs outside of the design world provide you inspiration? 

5 Sólidos: “The overflow of information we are lucky to have at our disposal for references and ideas makes it hard to narrow down! We are definitely very inclined to follow Australian and Brazilian architecture, but it would be a disservice to all the firms we look up to all around the world to say that these are the only one we are influenced and inspired by. 

Fashion has definitely become an incredibly influential and aesthetic approach to our investigation stages. I think the overlap of creative disciplines is where real innovation in the field lies, and when you look at what events like Salone del Mobile are doing for the industry, you can truly understand the benefits of having interdisciplinary knowledge work around the same subjects.

As for factors outside the design industry that have become sources of inspiration, environmental consciousness and technology development have definitely become a great influence in our design, by pushing boundaries in materiality, form, and experience.”

With over 70k followers on Instagram, what is your relationship with social media? What is the impact of social media on your work as compared to the “real” world?

5 Sólidos: “Instagram is a massive platform and has been an amazing tool for people to get to know us. I think one of our strongest qualities is that projects in real life look exactly the same (if not better) than what we post on social media. Same goes for the renderings we share. 

The projects we share on social media are carefully curated and thought out, and the reality behind the images our followers see is mostly centered around the massive amount of work behind it.

There is an incredibly dedicated team that has been working tirelessly for months in every detail to make the end result as impactful as it is.

We owe the success and amazing results to a great (interdisciplinary) group of people we have the pleasure to call our employees and co-workers to help us bring our ideas to life.”

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You have recently completed the project ‘Casa Dos Aguas’ for Latin American musician J Balvin. Could you tell us about the concept and style behind it and what were the challenges encountered during the design process? 

5 Sólidos: “After a trip to Japan, the owner came back determined to recreate a space that felt completely tranquil, and wanted to inhabit the house more like a sanctuary rather than a home. The house was initially planned as a reform of an existing home, which is why the original layout was left untouched.

Composed of two perpendicular volumes, which were opened up by a tall, imposing pitched roof, the house was cut across by a naturally illuminated wood corridor. As the project progressed and became more ambitious, the entire outdoor layout was proposed and added to the construction as a second phase.

The design concept was proposed as an ode to Japanese simplicity juxtaposed with Scandinavian elegance. Light and materiality constitute essential themes that work together with balance and poise, having rigorous and detailed applications throughout the house.

Furniture aesthetic is honest, simple and carefully curated. The entire space has a sense of coherence and balance. The same theme is translated onto every detail of the house, creating a dialogue in every gesture and use of the space, details are meant to create moments of awe.”

Being based in Colombia and having projects looked upon from all over the world, what are the main trends & future directions within architecture and interior design and what do you think of them?

5 Sólidos: “I think Colombian architecture and design will thrive in having a greater relationship with its context. We have a dense historical background with violence that has made project developments slow and difficult to access, but as we have outgrown it and eyes are on us all over the world for our great biodiversity and rich cultures, I think we are on the verge of become an amazing touristic center.

We have seen a lot of hospitality and commercial interest and developments that are starting and ongoing as of this moment, and I think this will have an amazing impact for the communities that it will benefit, as well as provide a platform for Colombian designers to be known in an international realm.

Collaborative work is the future of architecture and interior design.

Collaboration with artists, local craftsmen, tech developers, botanists, community leaders, the list goes on. As we learn to integrate these fields into the design experience, we will be able to exponentiate its results.” 

With a wide range of projects and clients, what is the next step for Cinco Sólidos?

Cinco Sólidos: “We are currently working on around 50 projects, all varying in style, size and function, so it would be hard to pinpoint one. We are really happy to continue to do our work as best as we can, we have never felt that we have outgrown certain types of projects, each client is a new world of experiences and learning processes.

Nevertheless, we are always interested in having new challenges that can be greatly benefited from our work. We are always excited to share everything thorough our social media outlets, so definitely keep posted for what is next to come. “

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