400 m² apartment looks like a home with Brazilian design and lots of art

A mother with two pre-teen daughters bought this 400 m² duplex penthouse in São Conrado (south zone of Rio de Janeiro) and then called on architects Carolina Escada and Patricia Landau, from the Escala Arquitetura office, to create a complete renovation. The idea was to rethink all the spaces to adapt them to the needs of the family, who love to welcome friends into their home, both adults and children. “The client wanted to have a residence with spacious and cozy spaces, with the characteristics of a home, and that would still value her many works of art and Brazilian furniture that she had collected over the years,” says Carolina Escada . The office is part of the cast from CASACOR Rio de Janeiro . The lower floor was transformed into a functional apartment for the family, including a suite with a walk-in closet for each daughter, and the upper floor now houses a living room with a gourmet space integrated into the outdoor area, as well as a spacious master suite. As the property already had a spacious terrace on the roof, on the lower floor, the architects chose to integrate the balcony into the living room, thus creating a unique living space, reinforced by the same tauari plank flooring. They also used part of the hallway to create a pantry before the kitchen . “We installed sliding wooden frames with movable shutters between the kitchen and the hallway, allowing the spaces to be integrated or isolated, depending on the need.” , informs Patricia Landau. In this same space, the staircase that connects the two floors steals the show with its sculptural appearance. Following the helical shape of the vertical circulation, the white painted metal sheet railing surrounds the steps, which are lined with wood. In the social area on the lower floor, the architects used a base in more neutral and natural tones, such as white, corten and wood, with touches of color present in the works of art that were already part of the client's collection, with emphasis on creations by Daniel Senise, Galvao, Ascanio MMM, Jorge Mayet, Duda Moraes and Arthur Pedro Motta.

On the upper floor, originally, the living room and terrace were not well integrated and the space allocated for the living room was limited. After the renovation, the living room was set back to create a covered but external corridor, with a deck circulation. This floor was then offering even larger spaces as the client desired, delimited by large sliding glass panels that allow the integration of internal and external areas, when necessary. Since the focus is on family leisure and socializing with friends and relatives, the living room has a large screen built into the bookshelf so that the space can also be used as a home theater. Right next to it, the same bookshelf transforms into a gourmet counter with pizza oven and dining table. The outdoor area has a barbecue, lounge and deck supporting the pool, in addition to landscaping, which was essential to bring a “freshness” amidst the denser elements that make up the environments. The interior furnishings of the room are dominated by the Mole armchair and Oscar chairs by Sergio Rodrigues, the Iaiá bench by Gustavo Bittencourt and the dining table by Arthur Casas . Among the works of art, there are creations by other great Brazilian names, such as Gabriela Machado. , Vick Muniz, José Bechara, Raul Mourão, Arthur Lescher. Also on the upper floor, the master suite is a very spacious space, completely facing the view and with the bathroom well integrated into the bedroom. To give the idea of continuity, the two spaces have walls with the same texture and tone and also share details. in similar carpentry. A large bench installed on the bedroom wall functions both as a home office and a dressing table. “The apartment translates the concept of Rio architecture almost literally, both through the personality, freedom and youthfulness of everything chosen to decorate this project and through the relaxed atmosphere that permeates all the spaces,” says Carolina Escada . “Our biggest challenge in this project was to do a major structural work to integrate the spaces well. We also had to move the staircase to create a generous living area on the second floor that was still well integrated with the terrace,” concludes Patricia Landau .