They Call It the Joy House—and It Lives Up to Its Name

When São Paulo natives Nicholas Beggs and Joyce Prestes made an offer on a somewhat run-down and narrow house near the city’s financial district, they had no hesitations about their choice. Its location was ideal—on a quiet street in Vila Madalena, an artsy residential enclave—and its 1,000-square-foot backyard was larger than any they’d seen in the area. They had no hesitation about their next steps either, which involved bringing on Arkitito, an award-winning local architecture firm, to transform the property into their ideal home.