With a 180º view of the sea, the 550 m² apartment receives a young and solar project

In search of more space, in 2017, a couple of lawyers bought this 550 m² apartment facing the beach of São Conrado (RJ), and soon commissioned an overhaul and decoration project by architects Camila Simbalista and Paula Wetzel from Studio 021 Arquitetura and the CASACOR COR Rio de Janeiro team. At the end of last year, the duo was called back, this time to update and renew the decor of the communal and intimate areas. "The client requested to make the 180 m² living room cozier and more colorful and to create many seating areas in the intimate TV room. The daughter, who is now 14 years old, asked for a more teenage and feminine bedroom, with a romantic touch and shades of pink, while the 11-year-old son requested a skate-themed room. In the 40 m² master suite, the couple requested an office area and a reading corner, along with a bathroom for him with a masculine look and integrated closet," Camila reports. Since the layout of most rooms already perfectly served the family, the only change in the floor plan occurred in the couple's suite. In general, the project's concept aimed to create a young, cheerful, and sunny apartment, designed to maximize the 180º view of the beach and its surroundings. "In the living room, the sensation of being on a ship at sea is reinforced by the wide side windows, original to the building, which also provide plenty of natural light in the space," says Paula. In the decor, the architects opted for a neutral base to play with the colors in a punctuated way, without being visually overwhelming, such as Persian rugs in red tones, patchwork blue carpet, large blue modular sofa, armchair with red stripes, and a pair of reddish caramel leather armchairs. "These colors complement the Moleca armchair in distressed blue canvas, Beg armchairs in caramel leather, and the large red rug that decorates the master suite," adds Camila. Except for the TV rack (which came from the old apartment and was ‘embraced’ by a field wood joinery shelf designed by the office), both horizontal frames and the console easel (which top was replaced with Paraná marble), all pieces in the social area are new, some acquired when the family moved to the current address and others more recently. Among the signed design furniture, in the living room, the architects highlight the iconic Donna armchair with ball pouf (created in 1969 by the Italian Gaetano Pesce), the Mole and Moleca armchairs (by Sergio Rodrigues), and the Rosá coffee table, by Maria Cândida Machado. Another highlight of the project is the openwork partition with vertical brises designed by the architects, positioned in the center of the room to delineate the dining area – with a table for 12 people and a walk-in climate-controlled wine cellar – without compromising the integration of the spaces. Made of woodwork with a white lacquer finish, the solution also ‘talks’ with the existing ceiling, with a white lacquered slatted ceiling, interspersed with beams and exposed pipes.

[caption id="attachment_193661" align="alignnone" width="4429"][/caption> "We found it better to keep the ceiling not only because it is beautiful but also to preserve the height of the ceiling. Any drop could compromise the spaciousness of the social area," emphasizes Paula. Also designed by the duo, the low shelf that wraps around the blue sofa was made in field wood to bring more coziness to the home theater. [caption id="attachment_193677" align="alignnone" width="4429"][/caption> In the daughter's bedroom, the architects convinced her to swap pink for burgundy and added shades of gray to give the room a more youthful feel. Highlight for the curved panel with rounded slats in washed freijó (serving as a headboard), the shelf in freijó, natural cane and gray lacquer, the Mexerica armchair from Estudiobola, and the organically shaped rug, with embossed drawings in various colors, matching the decor's color palette. [caption id="attachment_193680" align="alignnone" width="4429"][/caption> As the boy's room project was inspired by skateboard culture, the architects applied a burnt cement texture on the walls and ceiling and covered one wall from floor to ceiling with a perforated wood panel (type pegboard), in a darker gray tone, to reinforce the urban vibe of the decor. Strong colors appear in the wall lamp with yellow neon light (SK8), the headboard panel of the bed in flag green lacquer, and the blue bedding with a denim pattern. [caption id="attachment_193672" align="alignnone" width="4429"][/caption> "Our biggest challenge in this project was, without a doubt, maintaining the design coherence of renovations carried out at different times, with a seven-year gap between them. Our main concern was to ensure it was not noticeable which elements are older or newer," concludes architect Camila Simbalista.