When the family with two children moved from Rio de Janeiro to Curitiba (PR), they called architects
Diego Raposo and
Manuela Simas to make the
200 m² duplex penthouse feel like home. “They were already our clients. We built a country house for this family in Itaipava, in the mountainous region of Rio. So, this time, they only asked us for comfort and privacy. Otherwise, they gave us carte blanche on the project,” says Diego.
The only change to the layout was the incorporation of the private hall into the master suite to increase the couple's
closet . In the minimalist contemporary style of decoration, the office focused on natural materials (such as wood, linen, cotton, stone, leather and plants), used white and off-white tones to increase the brightness inside the home and invested in well-designed carpentry to create storage spaces.
In terms of furniture, the selection of new pieces was guided, above all, by the comfort and timelessness of the design, such as the
Pitu armchair with stool, designed by Aristeu Pires, and the Siri chair, designed by Giácomo Tomazzi, which have gained a prominent place in the living room.
“Since the couple likes to get together with their children to watch TV, we placed a generously sized sofa in the living room, arranged in an L-shape. Also in the living room, next to the rack, we installed a workbench, since they both prefer to be integrated into the day-to-day life of the house when they are working from home,” says Manuela.
Another highlight in the living room is the rectangular fireplace , which looks like a central stone module of the rack, designed by the office and executed in carpentry. “We also wanted to make the room more welcoming, so we upholstered the frame of the couple’s bed, including the headboard, in off-white bouclé fabric,” says Diego. “The couple’s daughter asked us for a timeless bedroom that didn’t feel like a teenager’s room. So we adopted a neutral base in this room as well and added color, especially in shades of light pink, in some art pieces and decorative objects to bring a bit of youthfulness,” adds Manuela.
Since the penthouse is on the 12th floor, the clients really wanted it to feel like home. To achieve this, the architects invested in
gardens with abundant vegetation (sometimes vertical, sometimes in grouped pots), which not only minimized the presence of neighboring buildings but also gave more privacy to the area where a hot tub was installed.
“Our biggest challenge in this project was executing the work remotely, since our office is based in Rio de Janeiro. To ensure that everything ran smoothly, we hired a local architect, who helped us throughout the process,” concludes architect Diego Raposo.
