ABSTRACT
The housing architecture project, aimed at people, their intimate spaces, and related to their habits and preferences, does not always coincide with what was socially established as “what should be” from the aesthetic point of view, considering the social position and the middle-class status eagerness in Recife, Brazil. Thus, we propose in this article to clarify the role of classicism applied to houses interior spaces, especially what happened throughout the 18th-century in Europe, with the proposal of the French architect Jacques François Blondel (1705–1774) to distinguish the spaces of the house in spaces of apparatus, of society and of convenience, strengthening the characterisation of the reception areas, and highlighting its scenic dimension. This practice contrasted with the diverse way of living in Brazil during the colonial period, free of aesthetic restrictions, and more focused on the functional aspect of spaces. The social areas of the dwelling began to be used, from the 19th-century on, as a mechanism of social and economic distinction, a practice observed until today in housing architecture projects and their interiors.
