The shrimp door integrates or separates the bedroom from the living room in this 89 m² apartment

The challenge of renovating this apartment in Leblon, measuring only 89 m², started on schedule: it took a month for the design and six months for the construction – time to carry out a radical transformation. Designed for a couple in their 30s who do not live in Brazil and need a strategic landing spot in Rio de Janeiro, the clients' idea was to rent the property for short-term stays while they were not here. The final project, designed by architect Andrea Duarte and decorated by Anna Malta (both part of the CASACOR Rio de Janeiro lineup) was meant to accommodate up to four people. The residents' request was clear: a cheerful, colorful, functional apartment with contemporary vibes — including a suite, integrated living room, and a multi-purpose room with a home office and sofa bed for hosting guests. With more than six decades of existence, the property originally had three poorly distributed bedrooms, a single bathroom, outdated facilities, and a structure that limited any dream of integration. "We only reused the peroba wood flooring, and even so, with all the marks of time. And that ended up becoming part of the charm," Andrea explains. The layout was completely reorganized: one of the old bedrooms gave way to a new TV room, integrated into the social area and the kitchen. The second bedroom was transformed into a reversible project, separated from the living room by an L-shaped shrimp door that, when opened, expands the space.

The biggest technical challenge was a beam 40 cm wide that crossed the living room, making it difficult to integrate the projects. The solution required structural calculations, reinforcement with metallic structure, and cutting 35 cm off the beam, raising the ceiling height of the passage to 2.50 m. "We covered the reinforcements with microcement and left everything exposed on purpose. We embraced the scars of the structure as part of the project," Andrea explains. All the cabinetry was designed by the architect and custom-made. The decoration followed the proposed layout, with furniture from national designers (including, Fernando Jaeger) chosen piece by piece to reflect the vibrant personality of the residents. "We are very satisfied with the result of the renovation, which made the apartment more fluid, contemporary, and affectionate — where the old and the new meet in balance, suiting the needs of the new residents," Andrea concludes. [gallery-april id="210910" type="slider" showtitle="undefined" data-restrict="false"] [april-see-also]W3siaWQiOjEwNTM1MCwidGl0bGUiOiJBIENvemluaGEgZG9zIEFtaWdvcyDDqSBvIGNvcmHDp8OjbyBkYSBDQVNBQ09SIFJpbyAyMDIxIn0seyJpZCI6MjA2Mzk4LCJ0aXRsZSI6IlBhcmVkZSBkZSBjZXImI3hFMjttaWNhIG5hIHNhbGEgZCYjeEUxOyBwZXJzb25hbGlkYWRlIGEgYXAmI3hFQTsgZGUgMTE1IG0mI3hCMjsifSx7ImlkIjoxNTQ3MjMsInRpdGxlIjoiSm9hbGhlcmlhIGRhIENBU0FDT1IgUmlvIG1pc3R1cmEgY29yZXMgZSBlc3RhbXBhcyBjb20gZWxlZyYjeEUyO25jaWEifV0=