The apartment was large, old, and very well located, but it was highly compartmentalized and had an excessively heavy décor. The client wanted a modern space, so we started from scratch. As one of the construction workers said, “we kept only the land”…
Once everything was demolished, we encountered a very robust structure: large concrete walls and a ceiling marked by crossed beams. From this starting point, we redesigned the entire floor plan, respecting the original structure and the owner’s wishes.
We reorganized the spaces, reconfigured circulation, and highlighted the exposed beams within a clean, contemporary proposal. We replaced the flooring and finishes, rebuilt the ceilings, and redesigned the lighting. Everything!
The result is a spacious, airy, and bright apartment.
We used travertine marble in the living room and bathrooms. In the kitchen and service areas, we opted for Ariostea — a more resistant marble-based composite. For the private areas, we selected peroba wood flooring.
The décor emerged naturally from the new spatial configuration. Long, continuous sofas define the environments without the need for many furnishings.
A braúna tree root — a dark, rare wood from the owner’s family farm — became a sculpture that now serves as the focal point of the living room. Other trunks from the same tree form the legs of the dining table, echoing the beautiful photograph of the Tuileries Garden by José Luiz Pederneiras (@jlpederneiras), which occupies another wall in the room.
A 19th-century altar, also from the farm, houses a collection of 19th-century Saramenha ceramics and dominates the main wall. Above it, a painting by André Penna McMurtrie (@andre_penna_mcmurtrie) completes the composition.
In the kitchen — enormous! — the deeply religious family wanted something meaningful. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, we created a “faux fresco uncovered on the wall.” We aged a canvas purchased online and finished it with texture, giving it the appearance of a work revealed over time.
