After living in several cities around the world for work, Márcio, from Rio de Janeiro, met his wife Chisa, who is Greek and works for the same company, while he was living in Greece. Together, they decided to settle in Rio de Janeiro in this penthouse. duplex in Jardim Oceânico (west side of the city), with a view of Pedra da Gávea, which already belonged to his family.
Recently, the couple decided to do a major renovation on the first floor (350 m²) to give it a personal touch to them and their children - an eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. To do this, they commissioned a project from the architects
Cadé Marino , Michelle Wilkinson and Thiago Morsch , from the
Up3 Arquitetura office.
“The clients asked to modernize the apartment, as the original layout was very old and no longer met the family’s needs. As they both work from home frequently, they also asked for a shared office, which was allocated in a reserved part of the living room, taking advantage not only of the space but also of the abundant natural lighting in the place”, says architect Thiago.
The main change to the layout was in the kitchen (originally in a corridor format), the pantry and the service area, spaces delimited by walls that were fully integrated into the new project. Only the spiral service staircase that connects the two floors was maintained. but it gained a new look, becoming an important architectural element in the space. “We also added a lavatory that didn’t exist in the living room”, highlights architect Cadé.
To create warm and cozy interiors, priority was given not only to
wooden furniture and carpentry, but also to plants and solutions that brought more natural light into the home. Some walls and ceilings were given a special texture that resembles burnt cement and the floor was covered with raw travertine porcelain tiles.
In the contemporary style decor, practically everything is new. The only furniture that was used was the dining table, the sofa and a red bench under the home office window. In the social area, the architects opted for a palette of neutral tones to create a atmosphere that is both calm and sophisticated, leaving the colors more vibrant for objects, cushions and paintings.
“We also used many personal objects that the clients brought back from numerous trips and countries where they had lived, including photographs taken by them, which we transformed into decorative frames”, concludes architect Michelle.
