The Anderson Cooper Brazilian house, known as Casa Anderson, is a four-building compound in Trancoso, Bahia. Built from salvaged materials by designer Wilbert Das, the property features colonial structures, a pau a pique clay casa, and a master suite on stilts, surrounded by tropical gardens.
What Makes the Anderson Cooper Brazilian House Unique
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper owns a remarkable retreat in Trancoso, Brazil, a 16th-century fishing village on Bahia’s coast. The Anderson Cooper Brazilian house sits 14 hours from his Manhattan base, requiring multiple flights and a drive. Yet Cooper keeps a photo of the property on his CNN desk in New York, calling it “meditative and calming.”
Cooper first visited Trancoso in 2013 with partner Benjamin Maisani and friend Andy Cohen. “Within a day, I was fantasizing about buying a house there,” Cooper told Architectural Digest. “Ben thought I’d lost my mind, and Andy, who is encouraging about almost everything, thought I was nuts, too.”
The journalist describes watching the Quadrado town square from his accommodation’s porch for hours. He observed kids playing soccer, horsemen returning from fields, and lights coming on in fishermen’s cottages. After working in 70 countries and traveling to even more, Cooper found Trancoso unlike anywhere else.
The Four-Building Compound Design
Casa Anderson spans four separate buildings plus a free-form swimming pool. The property grows mango, cacao, jackfruit, banana, and açaí trees across its grounds. Cooper hired Wilbert Das, former creative director of Diesel and founder of Uxua Casa Hotel in Trancoso, to design the compound.
Das built the Anderson Cooper Brazilian house largely from materials salvaged from an abandoned Bahian farmhouse. Each building technique represents a different chapter in Brazilian architectural history.
Main Colonial Structure
The first cottage follows colonial style with conjoined living and dining rooms, a kitchen, and a veranda for outdoor meals. A vintage Bahian cocktail table sits alongside pequi-wood stools and pieces from Das’s Uxua Casa home collection. The dining area displays Brazilian devotional oratories against a turquoise wall.
Waxed concrete floors provide contrast to rustic elements throughout. The kitchen pairs smooth concrete countertops with reclaimed-wood cabinet fronts. A framed Ghanaian asafo flag and vintage pendant lamp complete the space.
Guest Casas and Master Suite
The property extends toward the jungle through three suites, each inspired by different local building styles. The first guest casa replicates traditional colonial-type houses found in Trancoso and nearby towns.
The second casa uses clay and eucalyptus in a technique called pau a pique, typical of favela housing. This traditional Brazilian method involves creating a frame from eucalyptus poles, then filling gaps with woven sticks and clay. The technique produces walls that breathe in tropical heat.
The master suite sits raised on wooden stilts like a beachside fisherman’s hut. Das built it mostly from warm, weathered timber salvaged from an old fazenda before demolition. This includes roxinho, a now-protected Brazilian hardwood. Vintage trunks at the foot of the bed serve dual purposes—the top one conceals a television.
Wilbert Das’s Design Philosophy
Das designed the Anderson Cooper Brazilian house to honor local culture rather than impose outside aesthetics. His approach relies almost completely on natural materials, woodwork, and recycled pieces. Each building tells a story about the area’s architectural evolution.
A local Brazilian fisherman crafted the beds. The outdoor shower was made from a tree trunk. Das lined the free-form pool with tatajuba planks, a Brazilian hardwood that resists water damage naturally. This choice connects the modern pool to traditional boat-building techniques.
Brazilian devotional oratories and Mexican votive paintings add spiritual elements. Antique window frames, writing tables, chairs, and lamps contribute history. Each piece entered the house with its own past, creating layers of time rather than a single designer moment.
| Design Element | Material Source | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Master Suite Frame | Salvaged fazenda timber (roxinho) | Authentic weathered character |
| Pool Lining | Tatajuba hardwood planks | Natural water resistance |
| Casa Walls | Pau a pique (clay & eucalyptus) | Traditional favela technique |
| Beds | Crafted by local fishermen | Local artisan connection |
| Outdoor Shower | Hollowed tree trunk | Immersive natural experience |
The Grounds and Natural Setting
The Anderson Cooper Brazilian house sits among mature tropical growth. The land produces fruit year-round from its mango, cacao, jackfruit, banana, and açaí trees. These aren’t decorative plantings—they attract wildlife and create constant movement.
Monkeys visit the property. Birds call from the canopy. The design preserves natural landscape rather than clearing it for manicured lawns. Cooper rarely makes it to the beach since the property’s completion, favoring the tranquil seclusion within the compound’s boundaries.
The view from the master bedroom creates a scene worth watching indefinitely. Rain pings into the jade pool and slides down waxy leaves before the sun reappears. Jagged reflections cut shapes onto the water’s surface as birds emerge again.
Why Cooper Chose Trancoso Over Other Destinations
Trancoso maintains its character as a real community rather than transforming into a sanitized resort area. Neighbors know each other, families run restaurants nearby, and bossa nova music drifts through the evening air. This authenticity matters to Cooper, whose familiar face seeks genuine privacy.
The remote location works in Cooper’s favor. The distance creates separation from his demanding journalism career, which has included regular war zone reporting. The son of artist and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt needed a hideaway where he could find peace.
“Just knowing that my house exists makes me happy,” Cooper explained to Architectural Digest. The Quadrado photo on his CNN desk serves as proof that a well-designed space creates psychological benefit beyond physical occupation.
Casa Anderson’s Design Principles
The property demonstrates several principles applicable beyond Brazilian beachfront estates. Salvaged materials create instant authenticity that new construction cannot replicate. The compound’s construction from salvaged farmhouse materials created an immediate sense of belonging to its location.
Respecting local architectural traditions connects design to place. Each of the three casas represents a different Brazilian building tradition—colonial, pau a pique, and stilted fisherman’s hut. This approach educates while creating varied spaces with distinct character.
Indoor-outdoor flow matters in tropical climates. The veranda extends the main cottage’s living space. The outdoor shower turns a daily routine into an immersive experience. Walls become suggestions rather than barriers.
The fusion of vintage finds with artisan pieces produces spaces that feel collected over time. Nothing matches perfectly, which makes everything work together. Das’s design tells the area’s story while providing modern retreat amenities.
Trancoso’s Evolution Since 2013
Trancoso has changed since Cooper discovered it. Beyoncé has visited more than once. Her sister Solange honeymooned there. Florence Welch stopped by for downtime. Top models and international DJs regularly come for the New Year and the carnival.
The town walks a delicate line between maintaining authentic community character and accommodating high-profile visitors seeking that authenticity. The Anderson Cooper Brazilian house set a template that other properties followed, proving luxury could mean honoring a place rather than imposing upon it.
Casa Anderson’s design choices—favoring salvaged materials over new construction, hiring local artisans over importing designers, respecting traditional building techniques—influenced subsequent development in the area. The house emerged from Architectural Digest’s August 2016 feature, representing a specific moment when salvaged materials and local craftsmanship began overtaking imported luxury as status markers.
What Visitors Should Know About Trancoso
Trancoso sits in Bahia state, south of Porto Seguro. The village centers around the Quadrado, a grassy town square overlooking the sea and surrounded by colorful fishermen’s houses. The area has a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation due to its colonial history.
The town traces its roots to the 16th century as a fishing village. In the 1970s, hippies settled in Trancoso, bringing international influence. This created the foundation for today’s hippy-chic atmosphere that blends Brazilian tradition with contemporary design sensibilities.
Access requires a 17-hour overnight flight from major international cities to Porto Seguro, via São Paulo, followed by a one-hour road transfer. This remoteness preserves the area’s character while limiting mass tourism development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Anderson Cooper’s house in Brazil?
Casa Anderson is located in Trancoso, a historic fishing village in Bahia state on Brazil’s southeastern coast, approximately one hour by road from Porto Seguro airport.
Who designed Anderson Cooper’s Brazilian house?
Wilbert Das, former creative director of Diesel and founder of Uxua Casa Hotel in Trancoso, designed the four-building compound using salvaged materials and local artisan craftsmanship.
How many buildings make up Casa Anderson?
The property comprises four separate buildings: a main colonial cottage, two guest casas (one pau a pique, one colonial), and a master suite on stilts, plus a free-form swimming pool.
What makes the design unique?
Each building uses different traditional Brazilian construction techniques—colonial style, pau a pique clay and eucalyptus, and stilted fisherman’s hut design—all built from salvaged materials from an abandoned Bahian farmhouse.
Can you visit or rent Casa Anderson?
The property is Anderson Cooper’s private residence and is not available for public tours or rental. Similar accommodations are available at Uxua Casa Hotel in Trancoso.
Conclusion
The Anderson Cooper Brazilian house works because it refuses to compete with its location. Casa Anderson amplifies Trancoso’s existing character—weathered wood, tropical abundance, community connection, and architectural tradition. The property demonstrates that the best vacation homes don’t transport you elsewhere. They help you arrive more fully where you already are.
Cooper’s retreat proves that meaningful design honors place and tradition while providing modern comfort. The compound’s salvaged materials, local artisan work, and respect for Brazilian building techniques created something both luxurious and authentic. This balance makes Casa Anderson more than a vacation property—it’s a sanctuary that brings peace even when Cooper cannot visit.
