Black and terracotta mark the decor of this 110 m² masculine apartment

The healthcare businessman was already living with his teenage children and dog in this 110 m² apartment in Barra da Tijuca (RJ), when he decided to commission architects Cadé Marino, Michelle Wilkinson and Thiago Morsch , from the Up3 Arquitetura office, to carry out a general renovation project, with completely new decor in all the rooms. “The client asked us to integrate the living room with the balcony and the kitchen , which were previously isolated, basically for two reasons. First, to make the spaces more spacious and fluid. Second, because he wanted to welcome friends into his home with more comfort,” says Michelle. “Another request was to expand the master suite,” she adds. As the owner likes dark tones in decoration, black was used, without ceremony, in the kitchen cabinets, countertops and backsplash , in the metal shelf near the living room window, on the dining table top, on the light fixtures, on the slatted panel that covers the walls of the master bedroom and on the bathroom counter. To prevent the spaces from becoming visually heavy, the architects used wood-effect porcelain tiles on the floor throughout the apartment, white linen curtains , light wood panels on both the portico that separates the kitchen from the living room and the TV wall, and covered some of the living room walls in a light gray tone – with a cement texture behind the dining table and concrete slats behind the sofa.

“We demolished part of the kitchen wall and removed the frames that delimited the old balcony, adopting the same flooring in all these spaces to reinforce the idea of integration and visual unity,” says Cadé. Also at the client’s request, the home office was incorporated into the master suite to make it larger and more comfortable, and the guest bathroom was also expanded to accommodate the two children, since the other bedrooms are not suites. The decor, which follows a slightly industrial style with touches of sophistication, is all new and evokes the masculine universe, without falling into clichés. The furniture was chosen with the fluidity and circulation of the spaces in mind, such as the corner transformed into a dining room, with a table designed by the office, with a triangular top with rounded corners that can seat up to eight people. Under the TV in the living room, the suspended masonry sideboard (covered in porcelain) can also be used as a rack or bench , thus increasing the number of seats in the social area on days when the house is full. “We also designed the sofa upholstered in terracotta fabric and the black metal shelf that goes from floor to ceiling so as not to waste even a centimeter of the main wall in the living room,” says Thiago.