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Architects: Nama
- Area: 110 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Fran Parente
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Manufacturers: Deca, High Inox, Jabuticasa, Legado, NS Brazil, Terracor
Text description provided by the architects. The idea for this 110m2 apartment, located in the Flamengo neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, aims to expand the existing spaces, delimited by the original configuration, creating new possibilities and variations. The main challenge came with the presence of five slender pillars, close to each other and centrally located, which ended up becoming the fundamental premise of the project. We chose to surround them with an irregular element of raw concrete, which became a highlight, embracing the refrigerator and cabinets, and creating a circular walkway in the environment.
As one of the premises of the studio is to inhabit the threshold between material and abstract, we decided to assume concrete beams and pillars, together with a large part of the furniture in stainless steel. This contrast between the raw and the refined seeks to evoke the surreal, dreamlike, and sculptural space. Both the continuous techno cement floor and the walls and ceilings in raw tones were designed to harmonize with the textures of the pre-existing concretes. Thus, the walls were covered with textured sand-colored paint, which gives an irregular and artisanal quality, being soft and sensitive to the touch, while visually evoking raw concrete. This result washes the interiors with a grayish-beige tone, aligning with the structure and transforming the environment into a "blank canvas," representing a scenario of present and future intervention possibilities.
By removing the walls of the apartment, the beam structure itself delineated the spaces, which were separated by sliding frosted glass doors, establishing an abstract background that not only reflects light but also the nuances of shadows that project from the other side. The multiple configurations of the apartment allow both the closing of these doors to create a new bedroom, and the total opening of them, revealing a fully integrated space between the living room, office, and kitchen.
Positioned near the entrance of the apartment is an imposing central concrete table, anchored in a structural pillar. This was conceived as a large floating monolithic structure, establishing a relationship between the brutality of the material and the lightness of its suspension, presenting itself as an important architectural element in the project. Its position in the environment also highlights the versatility of the spaces, serving both as a dining table and as a work area.
In a direct proportion relationship with the table, the sculptural concrete structure is positioned surrounding the existing pillars. In it, a stainless steel cabinet is integrated - the chosen material for the kitchen. The maximum of this relationship materializes in the social bathroom, with its walls entirely covered in raw concrete, contrasting with the reflectivity and luminosity of stainless steel in a large floating sink.
The search for the integration of all spaces is also reflected in the bedroom, which is separated from the closet and bathroom only by sliding doors. The extensive concrete countertop in the bathroom, which begins almost in the bedroom, serves as a support for the use of the closet, bedroom, and bathroom, thus enhancing the integrity of the apartment as a whole.
