Rodolfo Consoli opens the doors of his new home in Copacabana

The lockdown during the pandemic and the decision to start a solo career with a home office made architect Rodolfo Consoli look for a more pleasant and comfortable home in Rio de Janeiro . Until he found this 42 ^m2 apartment with a view of Copacabana Beach and a balcony at treetop height. “It's smaller than I wanted, but the feeling of not being confined was what weighed most in the decision”, says Rodolfo. With the new lease signed, the architect installed drywall in the kitchen to hide the service door. He also lowered the ceiling in the bathroom and kitchen to accommodate the new lighting and hide some beams. The living room and bedroom were already integrated, with a doorway between them. “At first, I thought about separating these two rooms with sliding doors, but then I decided to keep everything open because it would be more functional in everyday life,” says the architect. When Rudolph When he rented the apartment, the walls and ceiling were already painted white and beige and he decided to keep them. The property's original door markings and ceiling molding were also preserved, as they are not only charming, but also reminiscent of the year the building was built. All of the woodwork designed by the architect himself was finished in light wood — in the Duratex Carvalho Malva pattern — so that colorful objects, paintings, bed linen and carpets could be inserted without visually weighing down the spaces.

In the decor, which follows the “affectionate” contemporary style , all the items were acquired little by little since the move, about two years ago, with the exception of the bed and the television: “I looked for visually light national and international design pieces . I also dug up a lot of things at auctions and antique shops. The sofa by Sergio Rodrigues, for example, was in terrible condition. I restored the wood and foam and reupholstered it in leather. The Marcos stool, made of rosewood, by the same designer, was also completely renovated. The Girafa chairs, by Lina Bo Bardi , have always been my favorite and, because they are small, they fit perfectly in the living room. The base of the dining table was designed by me and made of natural oak veneer, with a top of Italian calacatta gold marble”, explains the architect.

Another highlight of the project is the overhead sideboard designed by the architect himself , fixed below the television, with a niche top to accommodate an espresso machine, a bar and a small collection of antique glasses.

"The rug with stripes in pink tones goes well with the pink and beige that I chose to be the base of the house, present even in the linen bed linen", he says. Rudolph . According to the architect, the bathroom walls and ceiling were painted blue to allude to the sea, which can be seen from the balcony. The peroba-do-campo parquet floor is original to the apartment and had already been restored when the architect received the keys. “ Since it is an apartment on the beach, with lots of natural light, it would be a crime to choose dark tones ,” he says.