Neutral decor, earthy tones and olive green characterize this 230 m² apartment

When the German couple needed to temporarily live in Rio de Janeiro, they called on architect Paula Müller – from CASACOR Rio – to renovate this 230 m² apartment in Jardim Oceânico (a neighborhood in the West Zone). The project was developed remotely, through online meetings, with only two face-to-face meetings on Brazilian soil. “The clients asked for an island in the kitchen, a closet in their suite, more cabinets in the service area, a very comfortable sofa in the living room to watch TV and also to keep the balcony open and better integrated with the social area ”, says the architect. With the renovation, the main change to the property's layout occurred in the kitchen and the master bedroom, which had their spaces resized to add a walk-in closet to the master suite. Likewise, the layout of the service area had to be redesigned to accommodate the new cabinets requested by the clients. As the property was renovated to be a temporary home, the project sought to create spacious, light and well-lit spaces, without making large investments, especially in finishing materials. With a contemporary style, the decor is completely new and all the furniture has a timeless design.

“In general, the base of the apartment’s decor is neutral and light, ranging from white to gray and off-white . In the living room, the colors appear occasionally in earthy tones and olive green in the paintings, ornaments and cushions,” says the architect. “On the balcony , the terracotta color is more evident and orange in the nautical rope furniture, with the lush green of the treetops in the background that invades the field of vision of the entire social area,” she adds. The architect also says that, near the entrance to the apartment, there were two pillars that were camouflaged in carpentry designed by her. The first was integrated into the gray bookcase, with open niches, which also serves the function of delimiting the entrance hall. The other pillar was incorporated into the wooden bookcase at the back of the dining room , with side cabinets that the clients use to store coats, suitcases and other belongings. “Our biggest challenge in this project was to make the clients understand, remotely, through online meetings, the dynamics of a project in Brazil, especially the deadlines required for each stage, since their reference was, until then, Germany”, concludes architect Paula Müller.