Studio apartment in Brooklin

Rafaela Paoli – Estúdio Pulpo

• Architects

Innovating Brazilian Architecture signs a 32m² studio apartment in Brooklin, in São Paulo

The apartment was designed for the daughters of the office's client couple.

The Inovando Arquitetura office, formed by the architect duo Ingrid Ovando Zarza and Fernanda Bradaschia, signs a 32m² studio apartment in Brooklin, São Paulo, idealized for the daughter of the office's client couple. “In this project, a former client of INOVADO decided to buy two apartments in the same condominium, one for each daughter. The daughters would either have the option of living in the apartments or renting them to generate as a source of income. The challenge then was to design a layout that not only respected the personality of each daughter, but, at the same time, could be attractive to a future tenant,” comments architect Fernanda Bradaschia.

photo_credit Rafaela Paoli – Estúdio Pulpo — Rafaela Paoli – Estúdio Pulpo

The story behind the Cosmopolitan project can be well represented by the phrase: the greater the challenge, the greater the reward. The same solutions were thought of for both apartments, but with different characteristics that would show the individual personalities of the clients. While Cosmopolitan 1 follows the characteristics of the “rocker” daughter, with shades of burnt gray, black and a chalkboard wall, Cosmopolitan 2 carries a more “zen” air, with plants and light woodwork.

Although it is a 32m² apartment, a fundamental objective was that both projects simulate all the sensations that a house traditionally evokes: spaciousness, comfort and privacy. For the perception of large spaces, the layout solution was to remove the kitchen from the entrance of the apartment, taking it to the balcony and thus integrating the balcony and kitchen. “Additionally, we placed a transparent glass table to give more amplitude to the environment and an island with stools in the kitchen to facilitate the interaction between who is cooking and who is in the living room”, explain the professionals.

A closet dividing the bedroom from the living room symbolizes the search for a balance between comfort and privacy. In this case, a solution was devised in which the visitor could enter the bathroom without entering the bedroom. For this, a bathroom with two doors was designed: one to the living room and the other to the bedroom. The room also has a partition with the balcony, its panel opens and closes in full, allowing the choice of integration with the balcony. This panel also works as a blackout for the room. “Also, where the kitchen was originally, we turned it into a secret laundry room inside a closet” comments Ingrid.

There have been layout changes. Upon entering the apartment with its original layout, the kitchen was integrated with the living room, with access to the balcony. Furthermore, a wall separated the bedroom from the bathroom. “Our main alteration was to demolish this wall, close the balcony and integrate it with the rest of the environment” comments the architect Ingrid Ovando Zarza.

For Inovando Arquitetura, it is important to highlight that in such a small apartment, the duo managed to design a kitchen with an island, as well as a dining room. Another solution was the panel for potted plants and spices. Which make a green wall easy to maintain.