With a payphone in the living room, a 65 m² apartment has a view of Morro Dois Irmãos

Located in the heart of Ipanema (RJ), this apartment of 65 m² is the result of a collaboration between the firm Cyro Arquitetura – part of the CASACOR São Paulo lineup – and a foreign client with training in architecture and work in the runway scene for major international brands. The project transformed a fragmented floor plan into a home that celebrates the light and geography of Rio de Janeiro, connecting the rigor of European aesthetics to the spontaneous lightness of carioca life.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

The resident’s central wish was to create a refuge that integrated the iconic view of Morro Dois Irmãos into daily life, using materials that evoke calm and personality, where the combination of exposed concrete and freijó wood sets a serene base for mixing vintage furniture with modern pieces.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

The project faced the challenge of dealing with a complex structure that revealed surprises only after demolition. To address the needs, seven layout options were presented before arriving at the final configuration, which prioritized the redistribution of spaces and the creation of a second bathroom for guests and post-beach showers.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

The floor plan was optimized by means of a central millwork volume in natural freijó veneer that plays a double role: on one side it functions as a closet for the suite and, on the other, as a TV panel and workspace for the living area. This solution eliminated the need for interior partitions, saving space and ensuring that circulation in the apartment happens alongside the window that runs across the entire facade.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

The apartment’s materiality is defined by neutral tones and textures, with a microcement floor and quartzite used in the kitchen and bathrooms. While the kitchen embraces a black-and-white minimalist aesthetic — functioning as a built-in wall niche that highlights the checkered floor inspired by Rio’s sidewalks — the rest of the home exposes the structural concrete to make the most of the original building’s skeleton.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

One of the major highlights of the décor is the functional phone booth positioned in the living room, a 1971 design piece by Chu Ming Silveira, finished entirely in white to evoke the purity of its lines and meet a specific request in the client’s brief.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

In the intimate projects, the primary suite surprises with the curved wall that embraces the bed and with its visual integration with the landscape. The bathroom, in turn, posed an architectural challenge when its window was quadrupled after walls that concealed the original cobogó were removed, allowing views of Morro Dois Irmãos even from the shower, where a brise-soleil ensures privacy without blocking the light.

Projeto de Cyro Arquitetura. (Rê Freitas/CASACOR)

The lighting, designed to be indirect, reflects off the white walls to create a spacious, welcoming setting that changes personality as the sun sets, tinting the interior with the orange and purple hues of a carioca dusk.