Curved wooden ceiling and concrete wall create personality in this apartment

When she decided to swap the apartment for a smaller property, measuring 84 m² in Gávea (RJ), the publicist called the architects Mariana Portillo and Pedro Pantoja from the firm Bric Arquitetura (and cast CASACOR Rio de Janeiro) to adapt the space for her new life moment. "Each client has a lifestyle and tends to spend more time in certain projects of the house. Some request a spacious kitchen because they love to cook daily and entertain friends on the weekend, while others want a spacious bedroom, with a reading nook and integrated office, for example. In this project, the resident told us that the living room is the place in the house where she spends the most time and she does not cook frequently. Therefore, in the living room, she requested a spacious and comfortable area to watch TV and a dining table to host friends," says Mariana. After the renovation, all the walls of the apartment were moved to personalize the priorities of the client, such as a suite and large social area, which almost quadrupled in size. In order for the original 12 m² living room to transform into the current 41 m², the architects demolished the kitchen, the staff quarters, and one of the three bedrooms, distributing throughout the remaining 43 m² a master suite with a closet, a full bathroom, and a hybrid room, which functions as an office or guest bedroom. Now the current kitchen and laundry are highly equipped but were embedded in the cabinetry designed by the architects throughout the perimeter of the old kitchen and service area, thus taking advantage of the existing water and gas installations and a significant part of the original floors. The new configuration was essential to free up a generous central space that now accommodates the dining table. "We lacquered these cabinets white and installed foldable pocket doors to blend them into the walls, which are also white, leaving everything very clean and practical. All appliances are of excellent quality and have been embedded with safety and beauty to not create visual clutter, even when the doors are open," explains Pantoja. During the demolitions, they discovered that the apartment had some height differences in the double slab, and in order not to give up the ceiling height, which could compromise the sense of spaciousness of the spaces, they decided to embrace these height changes in the ceiling by applying a curved gypsum solution covered with natural wood, which they nicknamed “ship hull”. "Whenever we encounter an obstacle while executing a project, we seek to emphasize it elegantly rather than invest in disguise solutions. In this way, we imprint even more personality in each work," says the architect. The architects adopted a neutral color palette – composed of white, exposed original concrete, and natural wood veneer – so that the decorative elements, landscaping, and the client’s personal items would bring color points without visually weighing down the spaces.

The selection of furniture and other decorative items prioritized pieces with a contemporary, light, and fun appearance. "As the architecture of the apartment already has a strong and timeless concept and materiality, in the decoration we sought elements that contrasted harmoniously with that architecture," Pantoja explains. Highlights include the Tubo chair (by Guilherme Wentz), the coffee table (from Marcenaria Caravelas), and the natural fiber rug with thick weave and black stripes that furnish the living room. In the master suite bedroom, Pantoja highlights the bedding made of pure European linen in khaki color and two creations from Sergio Rodrigues: the Mocho stool and the vintage Oscar chair. "To enhance the ceiling height and the materiality we used, the whole apartment was illuminated indirectly from the walls, with sconces that bounce the light," Mariana adds. Regarding materials and finishes, the remaining wall that marks the kitchen area was stripped and left in exposed rough concrete (on the side facing the living room), as was part of the ceiling. The cabinetry designed by the firm received a white lacquer finish in the kitchen and laundry, solid cumaru in the brises installed high on the service area wall (due to wet functions), and throughout the apartment, natural Goiabão veneer was used, as in the overhead shelf of the living room, the cabinet doors of the bedroom and bathroom, and some parts of the ceiling paneling. The original floor made of peroba-do-campo wood was maintained and repaired in areas where demolitions occurred. The curtains are made of white linen cambric. [gallery-abril id="193943" type="slider" showtitle="undefined" data-restrict="false"]