Integrated projects value the sea view in this 180 m² apartment

Located on Leme Beach (RJ), this apartment of 180 m² was acquired by a couple with two teenage children living in São Paulo to be used on vacations, holidays, and weekends. The family entrusted the Carioca architects Ricardo Melo and Rodrigo Passos – from the CASACOR Rio de Janeiro cast – with the complete project for the renovation and decoration of the property. "They requested spacious, integrated, bright spaces, with easy maintenance materials and plenty of beds," says Ricardo. With a rather compartmentalized original plan, the apartment was practically all opened up. The three living rooms and the two balconies, previously separated by slabs and frames, were completely integrated, forming a large social projects area. The kitchen was opened to the living room, and the master suite gained amplitude by being integrated with the balcony and the bathroom. "We proposed to open the kitchen to the living room as it is a property with seasonal features. The goal was to bring together as much as possible those using the space, be it the owning family or the guests," explains Ricardo. In the decoration, Rio de Janeiro and the view from Leme beach served as inspiration for a timeless and contemporary style project, with a light and soft palette in neutral tones, blues, and greens. "In the social area, we chose shades of gray and white, such as the porcelain tile in cement pattern, and added points of blue to create a natural connection with the sea," complements Rodrigo. Among the highlights are the tiles in the color of the sea (Pincelada collection by designer Mônica Camargo), which delimit the open kitchen to the living room, and the Tatu armchair by designer Pedro Useche, strategically positioned facing the beach, in the corner of contemplation of the living room. Another attention point is the carpentry solution created by the duo to expand the apartment's usage: sliding panels allow the integration of a small area into the living room or transform it into an extra guest room with a sofa bed. According to Rodrigo Passos, the biggest challenge was to make the desired integration feasible. "During the construction, we discovered that there was not enough structure to support the planned demolitions. We had to reinforce the entire apartment with metal beams, which ended up being exposed and became part of the project," concludes the architect.