Green bookshelf is the star of an apartment that feels like a home

Located in Gávea (RJ), this old 110 m² apartment was rented out while the owner lived in another city. Until her two 17-year-old twin sons finished high school and she decided to move back into the property so they could attend university in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. It was up to architect Carmen Zaccaro , from the CASACOR Rio cast, to modernize the entire apartment – which has three bedrooms , one of which is a suite – and adapt it to the family's demands, from the electrical and plumbing installations to changing the bathroom and kitchen coverings, as well as decorating and lighting the spaces. With the renovation, there were few changes to the floor plan. Basically, the architect "stole" part of the maid's room to enlarge the kitchen and opened up the circulation walls to increase the social area. Overall, the project concept sought to create a contemporary, cozy and cheerful apartment. In the decoration, some pieces from the client's collection were used, such as the pine dining table in the kitchen and the low cabinet made of reclaimed wood in the dining area, which works in tandem with the wall mirror, made of the same material. The living room's bookshelf , which originally had a white lacquer finish, was repainted in green lacquer , becoming the space's main color point.

The selection of new furniture prioritized contemporary design pieces – such as the Bank coffee table, by Jader Almeida , and the pair of Julieta chairs, by Aristeu Pires – which dialogue with the more rustic pieces that the client already had, including the antique trunk, positioned on the side of the sofa. “I kept the wooden flooring in the living room and bedrooms and covered two walls in the living room with light gray rustic bricks to create a cozy and homely feel. Most of the cabinetry I designed was covered in natural American oak veneer , with some featuring lacquer details, varying the color according to the room,” explains the architect. When defining the color palette for the social area, the architect says that she sought to convey joy and warmth by mixing a neutral base with splashes of bold color, especially the now green bookshelf, the armchair with earthy orange upholstery , the cushions, the silkscreen prints by artist Marcelo Solá (on the wall behind the sofa) and the cotton rug. In the bedrooms, a calmer and softer palette was adopted, while the bathrooms are dominated by gray tones with wood. “The only challenge of this project was convincing the client to paint the existing bookshelf in the living room green. I was always sure it would have an incredible effect, but at first she was unsure and reluctant. In the end, she agreed and loved the result,” he concludes.