Guanabara Bay is the backdrop of this 320 sq m penthouse traduzido por: OPENROUTER

A couple of lawyers from Rio had been living in São Paulo for a few years and decided to return to Rio when they received the news of the pregnancy of their first daughter, Maitê, now four years old. Since the two had always dreamed of living on Praia do Flamengo, they didn't think twice when they were faced with the opportunity to buy this linear penthouse of 320 sqm – with 57 sqm of balcony alone, overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

Although the property was well preserved – even allowing for an immediate move-in – the new owners decided to hire architects Rafa Gomes and Sandro Batalha, from Studio Plano Arquitetura (and part of the CASACOR Santa Catarina lineup), to give the property their own personality. "The first time we visited the apartment, the impact was huge. When we opened the door, it felt as if Sugarloaf Mountain was inside the living room. From the balcony, the view of Guanabara Bay is 180 degrees, with Niterói to the far left all the way to the Botafogo cove. Without a doubt, a breathtaking view," says Rafa.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

In fact, the view was always a priority for the clients, and this desire guided the development of the project, which was not to take away the spotlight from the city's famous postcard. Initially, the idea was to focus only on the social area and the balcony, seeking maximum integration of these projects with the view. However, during the design process, they decided to also include the private area of the property, with a focus on the daughter's bedroom. "Only the kitchen was left out of the renovation," emphasizes Sandro.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

Overall, the project bets on very clear, light and neutral materiality across most of the social area. From the inside-out perspective, the choice favors the framing of the view, highlighting it even more. White walls and ceilings, very light exposed concrete pillars, and a palette ranging from beige to gray, in different tones, dialogue with the existing flooring of peroba-do-campo wood blocks, complemented in areas where demolition occurred and extended throughout the circulation and private area. The darker tones, on the other hand, appear in some furniture pieces to create points of contrast.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

Originally, the property had a masonry wall with a large door dividing the living room from the dining room, which was demolished to integrate the spaces and increase the sense of spaciousness in the social area. The frames between the living room and the balcony were dismantled and rebuilt, also to reduce visual barriers and maximize the integration opening between them.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

“With these demolitions, the framing of the view gained a new proportion, even more impactful,” Sandro assesses. Another specific intervention that had a great effect in enhancing the view was the change in the main access to the apartment, previously through the side of the living room, and now more centrally, through the living room. In the private area, the interventions in the physical structure were targeted to avoid a more prolonged renovation.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

With the renovation, the social area was divided into a central living room, a TV living room, and a dining room. In the central living room, a modular island sofa was used, with seats facing three sides, with the intention of connecting this area with the balcony and the TV room. “The face of the sofa facing the central living room and the balcony is narrower, as it works as a kind of upholstered bench. The face facing the TV has seats with more generous dimensions to ensure the necessary comfort in this type of space,” Rafa explains.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

Finally, the sofa also gained a custom wood module that “embraces” the support pillar and provides visual unity to the set of modules. Close to the kitchen, the dining room also communicates with a small gourmet space installed on the left side of the balcony. Also note the large white mashrabiya portico that crosses the entire length of the living areas – from the access to the kitchen, through the social access and reaching the circulation that leads to the private area, flanked by a natural wood cabinet, with shrimp-style doors that conceal the bar and the wine cellar.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

In the decor, some Brazilian signature design furniture pieces were reused from the clients' collection (brought from the previous apartment in São Paulo), such as the Mole armchair by Sergio Rodrigues. “The clients already had an appreciation for national design and counted on our curation to acquire new pieces, considering the language and layout of the new project,” informs architect Sandro Batalha. “The Rio rocking chaise by Oscar Niemeyer was a long-held dream of the clients that they managed to acquire, casually, at an auction, already in the final stretch of the project's execution,” adds partner Rafa Gomes.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

Other national design pieces also stand out in the decor, such as the Astúrias armchairs by Carlos Motta, the Gomos modular sofa by Suíte Arquitetos, the Grampo center table by Fernando Mendes, the Leiff bench and the Mocho stools by Sergio Rodrigues, the Galeto armchair by Luan Del Savio, the Paulistano armchairs by Paulo Mendes da Rochaand Jangada armchair by Jean Gillon.

Projeto do Studio Plano. (Fotos: Denilson Machado | Produção visual: Rodolfo Consoli/CASACOR)

“Our greatest challenge in this project was to measure our interventions in order to respect and give prominence to what truly deserved to be highlighted: the view of Sugarloaf Mountain and Guanabara Bay,” concludes architect Rafa Gomes, partner of architect Sandro Batalha, of Studio Plano.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER