Two years ago, a corner building in Copacabana, built in 1946, caught the attention of David Bastos – about to be listed, the building with an Art Deco aesthetic didn't take long to have a unit for sale, snapped up by the architect, who lives between Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador, cities where he has an office, working on international projects and in several Brazilian capitals.
With 250m², although the apartment does not have a view of the famous Rio beach, other advantages attracted the resident, such as the rooms facing the street and a generous ceiling height, measuring three meters high.
The 77-year-old building inspired David to maintain the typical 1940s atmosphere , with a Parisian touch, adding a more modern mix of decorative pieces.
“We avoided making too many inferences in order to maintain the architectural characteristics of the apartment and we changed the service area and bedrooms. In addition, we changed all the electrical and plumbing systems and the air conditioning system,” says the architect, who is used to following a more contemporary style in his projects – according to him, it was the first time he had worked with the
art deco style.
To emphasize this aesthetic, the architect restored the parquet floor, the front door and the doors leading to the balconies, in addition to finding some antique items. Instead of integrating the already spacious rooms
, he chose to maintain the original division, with the living room, dining room and office connected by portals. Both the portals and the new 40cm-high skirting boards were made of marble, making the spaces even more sophisticated –
natural stones were also prioritized in the bathroom coverings, taking center stage in these spaces. The interiors are decorated with exquisite selection of cosmopolitan furniture, such as the Papa Bear armchairs with stool, designed by the Danish designer
Hans Wegner in 1951, next to the Apollo sofa, designed by
Antonio Citterio for Maxalto, in the TV room. In the dining room, the Estagio pendant light, designed by
Miguel Milá in 1992 for the Spanish company Santa & Cole, during the Barcelona Olympic Games, stands out above the Xilos dining table, also by Antonio Citterio, with Mini Papilio chairs, by
Naoto Fukasaw for B&B Italia.
The space is connected to the other social areas and reveals the architect's attention to quality and details, such as the perfect alignment of the bookshelf with the doorway, the air conditioning outlet and the window. "These are small things that are felt much more than perceived by those who live in the house," he believes.
In the private area , colors take center stage: the guest room was covered in navy blue fabric on the walls and ceiling, while a
mustard yellow tone was chosen for the master bedroom – a color that refers to Rio and conveys happiness and wealth, according to the resident. Curtains in the same color separate the balcony, with hydraulic tile flooring also with yellow details.
Another highlight of the project is the mirrored bathroom, with a countertop designed by the architect, carved in marble and supported by a brass base. “It has become the selfie spot in the apartment,” jokes David.
To top it all off, the rooms were filled with Brazilian works of art by artists such as
Di Cavalcanti, Tunga, Amilcar de Castro, Genaro de Carvalho, Sonia Ebling, Burle Marx, Leda Catunda, Antônio Dias, Nádia Taquary, Tuca Reinés, Flávia K , among others. “Over the nine months of construction, I myself designed every detail, every piece of furniture, every piece of art. Everything was conceived according to plan,” concludes the architect, proud of the new pied-à-terre in his hometown.
