Smart carpentry optimizes spaces in a 67 m² apartment

With just 67 m² of area, this apartment in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, had very small spaces divided by doors and masonry, in a traditional configuration from the 1970s and 1980s. After getting to know the work of Studio Leandro Neves , the resident decided to hire the office to revamp and modernize the property – Leandro also designed the Bookstore space at CASACOR Rio de Janeiro 2017 . Originally, the apartment had two bedrooms and no suite, just a single, small bathroom at the end of a long hallway. Separated from the rest of the house were the kitchen, the service area and the bathroom. With the new project, a complete overhaul was carried out: the small living room, one of the bedrooms and the dark hallway gave way to a spacious and comfortable living room, bathed in natural light and ventilation, which now circulates throughout the entire property. In the service area, the bathroom no longer exists and part of the room has been replaced by a full guest bathroom; the kitchen and utility area have been opened up to the living room. The other bedroom has been transformed into a comfortable suite, with space for the client to work from home. and integrated open bathroom, with private toilet and bath areas separated by metalwork with dotted glass.

In addition to their aesthetic function, the panels have secret “passages,” camouflaging the guest closet, the walk-in closet, the lavatory and the bedroom’s pivoting door. Another surprise is the TV room that transforms into a guest bedroom through of strategic linen curtains that gather behind the television panel and provide privacy to the space. The modular sofa in the living room, custom-made with the dimensions of a double bed, with loose backrests and arms, serves both the living room and the TV room, changing the position of the backrest, as well as the guest room, being used as a bed. . “We integrated the entire apartment as a studio, designing a hybrid floor plan with a new division that can accommodate different functions with the same furniture, giving a different character to each space according to the desires and needs of the resident. In addition, access several rooms and storage areas were mimicked in the carpentry, such as the closet, the guest bathroom, the suite and the service area”, explains the architect. According to Leandro, the change in the house was so radical that the client himself was very surprised by the result. “The client told us that the project exceeded his expectations of what he imagined it would look like once finished, changing his idea of what it is being at home. There is no better compliment than that”, celebrates the architect.