Practical 100 m² apartment has contemporary decor with industrial touches

The couple, in their 40s, bought this 100 m² apartment in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, in a new development, close to their previous address, in search of more leisure options for their 6-year-old daughter, offered by the condominium. “The clients asked for a complete renovation of the property recently delivered by the construction company, not only to adapt all the rooms to the needs of the family, including the resident's mother, who lives with them; but also so that the new home would reflect their personality and taste, which already identified with my work language”, says architect Rafael Ramos , responsible for the project. According to the architect, there were many changes to the original layout of the apartment. The walls that separated the living room from the balcony and the kitchen , for example, were demolished to integrate the spaces and the floors were leveled, thus increasing the feeling of spaciousness and the incidence of natural light. In addition, a wall between the suite and the dining room was also eliminated to create a closet in the master suite, which did not exist before. Overall, the project follows a contemporary urban style that mixes wood, glass, black metal and cement (note the ceiling finish) and focuses on a base of predominantly neutral tones of gray and off-white , resulting in a slightly industrial atmosphere, in tune with the family's youthful spirit.

On the old balcony now integrated with the living room, Rafael highlights the mini gourmet area with a barbecue built into the counter and a beer cooler built into the niche in the lower cabinet. In the kitchen, which is open to the living room, he draws attention to the high counter (which serves as a support for quick meals) and the custom-made joinery to optimize space, such as the tower of cabinets designed to hide the electrical appliances, making everything cleaner . In the living room with TV, the extensive wooden panel where the TV is fixed steals the show, which, in addition to visually delimiting the space, also mimics access to the private area of the apartment. “Our biggest challenge was to optimize the spaces as much as possible so that they seemed larger and brighter, since the property is not that big and was designed for four people to live in. The demolition of some walls to integrate the spaces and the custom-designed carpentry helped a lot to achieve our goal”, he concludes.