Architect Leticia Nobell opens up about her design process, inspiration, and working with the owners of Bento Store.

When Leticia Nobell sat down in the design meeting with Carlos Ferreirinha and partner Carlos Otavio de Costa to discuss the creative approach she and her associates at Leticia Nobell Arquitetos would take on Bento's new store, she was instantly inspired by the simplicity and honesty of the project. Nobell explains to KNSTRCT, “I started searching for references in my own mind and ‘brainstorming’ with my team to find the essence in the architecture to match the creativity and the cleverness of the products.”

Bento Store, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sells lunch boxes the owner and his partner spent two years searching the world for. Ferreirinha, no stranger to luxury items, as he was President of Louis Vuitton Brazil before opening this store, offers his customers an upgraded lifestyle that encourages homemade healthy eating habits. Bento Store’s merchandise ranges from reusable brown bags to on-the-go silverware kits. Lunch gets a stylish upgrade, especially with the innovative help of Nobell.

Since graduating the Federal University of Paraná in 1996, Nobell has served as designer on a number of opulent projects. These include participation in the development of the Louis Vuitton and Chistian Dior stores in the area. Nobell and her team also work on both commercial and residential buildings in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Santa Catarina, Belo Horizonte, Brasília.

Bento Store is eclectically designed using every inch of space in an efficient and functional manner. The store features smooth cubes and boxes that act as shelving units all bathed in warm light. The space juxtaposes the industrial and the natural—cleverly balancing the classic lunch box with a modern, compact flair.

The shelving structure remains colorless as to draw the customer’s attention to brightly colored products and external, color-lighted boxes. Nobell states, “The main idea in this project was to be simple and effective, as having ‘boxes inside boxes,’ the displays had to be basic in their structure.” The store is a refreshing cultural experience that leaves both owner and designer proud.