Dive into Art

Photography by Fran Parente

Tria Arquitetura projected a 960m² apartment in São Paulo for a foreign couple who have been living in Brazil for a long time, availing Carlos Fortes Studio for the lighting design.

Born travelers and great lovers of works of art, the couple lived in a house and, as they traveled a lot, they chose to move to an apartment for ease of maintenance and security. However, they were looking for a property with a view and high ceilings so that they would not feel so much when leaving the house.

The main concept in the choice of finishes and architectural solutions proposed by Tria Arquitetura was to bring comfort but still leave a big void so that the works could dress the house. The architects team then understood that in the living room there were 3 large main volumes that should have a highlight and that they would be the ones that would bring a texture and more coziness: the internal elevator block, the fireplace and the wall that divides the room from the guest area. These volumes are covered with a panel of very thin slats veneered in natural wood and glued one by one, with smoothed and slightly rounded edges.

As soon as you exit the lift block, you are presented with a small lounge area composed of a sofa with rounded shapes in pastel green and the legendary Delfino armchair by Arflex in a lively moss green colour. Next door is the dining area with a more defined character marked by shades of brown present in almost every detail of the space: from the wood (the table and the legs of the dining chairs) to the colourful carpet to the painting hanging above the sideboard by 55 Design (also in wood). Besides, this space leads to the kitchen which, unlike the whole design, is simple and colorless.

To the right of the lounge area, we find the living area where two fire red Tacchini armchairs stand out more but do not break the color balance. Also, to break with the slatted and wood, a stainless-steel volume with sharp edges stands out from these volumes and creates a counterpoint with the rest, bringing an air of contemporaneity to the solution. The other walls are white and received a subtle texture to give them some movement and help even more in the general comfort. In additional, the couple, with a great repertoire of design and art, values the contemporary a lot and was the main key, together with the architect, in the choice of new furniture and in the curatorship of which works of art would be exhibited in the new home.

Next to the living room, the majestic spiral staircase gives movement to the space and is in itself an architectural artwork. Behind it, a cinema area has a more intimate touch thanks to an entire wall in wooden slats.

On the upper floor there is a large master suite with dressing room and bathroom for each of the couple and an intimate library, making the entire built area of the secondfloor intimate, leaving only the balcony and social garden area that we find on the left going up the stairs.

On the balcony, the pool was subtly lowered, and part of the floor intended for landscaping was raised in order to increase the seating and, to unify the environments, a wooden pergola was created in a grid that visually unites the two areas (part covered by slab, part covered only by the pergola with glass) but also bring more coziness and environmental comfort. The floor, in rustic granite chips, is the same as the pool, the island with cooktop and the support bench. The pool has been reduced and access steps have been created. Its edges were also reformed so that it could enter the social area with more delicacy and elegance.

In the intimate area, the wooden floor in wide planks performs the function of coziness while the textured white walls continue to give way to works of art. It was only in the library that the architect chose to cover all the walls with the same wooden floor as the floor to give more seriousness and highlight the environment from the others.