Some people believe that the more time passes, the larger the space we occupy should be. A great nonsense, of course. A refined couple came to Studio Guilherme Torres with a desire: now that their three children are already making their own way, they bought a smaller apartment, perfect for moments for two, and now they need to transform it into a functional space. In short, metamorphosing environments and transforming them into a work of art, like the ones the couple has collected for so long.
Project Name: MB Apartment
Studio Name: Guilherme Torres
The privileged 200m² apartment overlooking Jardim América, São Paulo, aims to optimize spaces and make the most of each environment. A good example of this is the kitchen, where the formal wall division was demolished and all the appliances were embedded and hidden in the cabinetry.
Dining room? Kitchen counter? These have given way to an even more unique space, where the kitchen itself, equipped with a functional Corian countertop, becomes a bar, perfect for receiving good company or for a dinner for two. The table, which can be used for small meals, dinners, and even to work, is still in Corian, but with an authorial design in diagonal lines.
Rethinking the circulation and divisions, the central core of the apartment was revested in panels of slatted Freijó boleado, while the other rare walls of the living area received large bookshelves, while the floor material is a granilite with an exclusive authorial design of bronze joints.
Another secret of this room is the access doors to the bedrooms and to the residents’ entrance, hidden by the bookcase in the living room and the wooden panel, respectively. The simple act of going through these doors creates an almost magical experience, since you can’t imagine that there is a door there.
In the bedrooms, the doors were replaced by panels in fluted glass, enriching the residents’ personal art collection with natural light. The new room redistribution allows greater use for the couple’s suite, which now has a large closet, two private bathrooms, and a cozy home office.
To hold the clients’ art collection, the project was conceived thinking of a canvas in white, where there are coverings, textures, and discreet tones that can accommodate and enhance the art collection. Due to the absence of walls and the large number of artworks, a somewhat different expography was developed, installing paintings on curtains and shelves. By looking at the pictures, you will find some works by big names such as Vik Muniz, Alfredo Volpi, Hércules Barsotti, Paulo Pasta, Amílcar de Castro among other artists that mark their essence and life history.
In order to bring more minimalist finishes to the architecture of the apartment, which was originally full of window frames, we rethought the circulation and proposed surgical changes, but in the end made all the difference. For example, the toilet, which is not inside the apartment, but in the entrance hall, so we don’t need a door in the living room, as a result, we have an optimization of space and a minimalist air.
The furniture, almost all signature authored by Guilherme Torres produced by NOS Furniture, such as the Atari sofa, Hana and Zaki approach tables and Orbe chairs and stool, complement the aesthetics and atmosphere of comfort of the apartment. A special request from the clients was the presence of the Oscar chair, by Sérgio Rodrigues, which we placed in the bedroom.
The MB Apartment was an exercise of detachment for the clients, where only a few works from their personal collection would fit. It is a new space, a new time, developed to house new stories.
