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      Tria Arquitetura renovates São Paulo penthouse with sculptural staircase

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      A large variety of art and collectible design pieces populate this penthouse apartment in São Paulo, designed by local studio Tria Arquitetura, which also includes a sculptural staircase.

      The renovation of the 960-square-metre Frederic Chopin Apartment was led by architect Marina Cardoso de Almeida of Tria Arquitetura, who reconfigured the layout to make the most of the high ceilings and views.
      A sculptural staircase snakes between the levels of the duplex apartmentThe apartment is split over two floors and is home to an art-loving couple.
      Previously the owners of a large house, the clients chose to move to an apartment for convenience and security, but still wanted their space to feel open and expansive.
      Green furniture and rugs are highlighted against mostly neutral-toned materialsThe primary suite was moved to the upper floor, where the bed could be aligned with a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the cityscape.

      An intimate library was also created on this level, so that the whole floor is dedicated entirely to private space, apart from the patio and pool terrace, where the clients entertain guests.
      The couple’s contemporary art collection draws attention throughout the apartmentTwo employees’ suites were shifted to the lower floor, and a guest suite and home theatre were added in place of the closet.
      Connecting the two levels is a staircase with travertine treads and solid white bannisters, which snakes up a double-height space to appear like a piece of sculpture.
      Slatted wooden panels wrap the elevator block, the fireplace and the wall dividing the main living room from the guest areaThis sets the tone for the rest of the contemporary artworks and materials used throughout the penthouse.
      “The main concept in the choice of finishes and architectural solutions was to bring comfort but still leave a big void so that the works could dress the house,” said Tria Arquitetura.
      Stainless steel in the kitchen matches a wrapped column in the living areaIn the open living and dining area, colourful paintings adorn the walls, and furniture and rugs in shades of green and orange stand out against the otherwise neutral palette.
      “In the living room there were three large main volumes that should be highlighted to bring texture and more cosiness,” Tria Arquitetura said.
      The staircase features solid white bannisters and travertine treadsThese include the elevator block, the fireplace and the wall dividing the main room from the guest area, which are covered in thin vertical slats of veneered natural wood.
      Another column is wrapped in stainless steel to offer a cool, sharp-edged contrast to the wood and other warm tones in the living room.
      The primary bedroom was moved upstairs to face the best viewUpstairs in the library, wide-planked wood flooring is continued up the walls to make the room feel cosy, and provide a backdrop for a series of framed vintage maps.
      “It was only in the library that the architect chose to cover all the walls with the same wood as the floor to give more seriousness and highlight the environment from the others,” the studio said.

      Studio MK27 combines different textures in São Paulo apartment interior

      Updates were also made to the outdoor area, where the pool was reduced in size and re-edged to better integrate it with the landscaping.
      A pair of imitation classical pillars were also demolished, and a wood and glass pergola was added to cover the patio.
      Walls of an intimate library are panelled with the same wood as the floorThroughout the apartment, fully automated systems controlling the air conditioning, lighting, landscaping irrigation, and curtains and blinds were added during the renovation.
      The project took over two years to complete due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
      The project also involved adding a pergola and reducing the pool size on the terraceApartment living is commonplace in densely populated São Paulo, where architects and designers have used their creativity to add character to previously uninspiring spaces.
      Other recently completed examples include a residence by Studio MK27 that features furry upholstery, lace curtains and tactile rugs, and a renovation by Memola Estudio that exposed the building’s concrete structure.
      The photography is by Fran Parente.
      Project credits:
      Lead architect: Marina Cardoso de AlmeidaCreative team: Marina Cardoso de Almeida, Sarah Bonanno, Barbara Castro, Barbara Silva, Virginia CaldasEngineering: Steel ConstruçõesLandscaping: Alex HanazakiLight technician: Carlos FortesAutomation: TaagAir conditioning: Dealtec

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      Tiny Glasgow apartment transformed into playful pied-à-terre

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      Architect Lee Ivett, designer Simon Harlow and developer Duncan Blackmore have turned a 25-square-metre apartment in Glasgow into a brightly coloured space that doesn’t contain any freestanding furniture.

      Blackmore worked closely with Ivett and Harlow to plan the interior of the ground-floor tenement flat, which he uses as a base while visiting his other projects in the city’s Govanhill area.
      The micro-apartment was designed in GlasgowWhen Blackmore purchased the property it comprised a cramped hallway, a compact shower room, a kitchen and a sleeping area, which were separated by partition walls.
      The main idea for the redesigned space was to enable circulation throughout and to utilise its verticality in addition to the square-shaped floor area.
      It includes a tiny kitchen space”I wanted to be able to walk around in the flat, even though it’s tiny,” said Blackmore. “I also wanted the majority of the space to be flexible in terms of use, rather than defining areas for certain activities.”

      Work began with the removal of internal walls and the raising of existing structural openings closer to the 3.4-metre ceilings. A series of volumes designed in three dimensions were then inserted to fulfil various functional needs.
      An open space contains a fixed, multi-purpose benchThe apartment’s entrance area leads into an open space containing a fixed bench for sitting, lounging or sleeping. A shelf that functions as a desk is inserted next to one of two large, south-facing windows that flood the interior with natural light.
      Key functions, including washing, sleeping, cooking and the entrance, are pushed to the edges of the plan, freeing up the rest of the space so it can be used in a variety of different ways.
      The main space was left intentionally uncluttered”I was keen to avoid having a typical living space with a sofa, a coffee table and a television,” Blackmore told Dezeen.
      “The main space is entirely unprogrammed and uncluttered and has almost nothing in it. You can use it for a meeting or a party or just as somewhere to sit and think. I like how versatile and unfussy it is.”
      A compact shower room was createdA mezzanine sleeping platform is slotted in above a compact shower room, taking advantage of the vertical space and preventing the room from feeling disproportionately high.
      The bed is reached via a set of wooden steps, with a small circular hole seen from the living area providing somewhere to place a hand while manoeuvring into position.
      The mezzanine is reached via small wooden stepsThe new interventions are built around the retained structure and feature forms that playfully disguise which walls, columns or beams retain their original functionality.
      “Lee came up with the shapes based on the connection between existing openings and the geometry we imposed on the space,” Blackmore pointed out.
      A small circular hole provides a view to the living area”Where we needed to bridge differences in height or gaps between certain elements, the surfaces meet each other with a curve or a step,” he added, “so the decoration is derived from the resolution of these structural glitches.”
      The project takes its name, Ferguson, from the found nameplate of a previous occupier and the design borrows from the architectural heritage of its surroundings.
      The kitchen features an oversized red cast-concrete sinkThe remnants of a nearby building that burned down informed the arched shape above the stairs up to the sleeping area, as well as an opening that allows daylight to filter through to the shower room.
      Coloured cushions on the bench reference the doorway of a nearby building, while the bright-yellow datum that extends around the space is a reversal of the painted walls in the tenement’s shared stairwell.
      The remnants of a nearby building that burned down informed the arched shape above the stairsThe kitchen contains the minimum amenities needed to obtain a building warrant. Its oversized red cast-concrete sink is accessible for hand washing on arrival from the entrance hall – a legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic during which the project was built.
      Behind the apartment’s only internal door, the shower room is fully lined in two colourways of a decorative solid surface material made by Simon Harlow’s company Mirrl. A custom-made sink extends the use of bright yellow seen elsewhere in the interior.

      Proctor and Shaw designs London micro-apartment with translucent “sleeping cocoon”

      The entire project was fabricated by Harlow and artist’s technician Simon Richardson, resulting in a level of craftsmanship and intuitive creative detailing that lends it a strong sense of personality.
      Blackmore is keen to emphasise that the apartment should not be viewed as an example of tiny living, as he only ever spends brief spells of time there.
      A custom-made sink extends the use of bright yellow seen elsewhere”I’m absolutely not suggesting that people should live like this,” he said. “The space is really personal and tailored to my needs, which are a nice bed, a hot shower with good water pressure and decent WiFi.”
      “If you were living there permanently you would design it very differently, but as a place for me to stay and work or relax it’s perfect.”
      Blackmore is the co-founder of developer Arrant Land, which creates projects led by an interest in architecture, built heritage and the social dynamics of the UK’s towns and cities.
      Previous projects backed by Arrant Land include a red-brick house with playful tiled detailing in south London and an apartment building in the seaside town of Whitstable featuring black brick walls that evoke the nearby wooden fishing huts.
      The photography is by Pierce Scourfield.

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      Studio Noju renovates curvy apartment in brutalist Torres Blancas tower

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      Local firm Studio Noju has updated a two-storey Madrid apartment within the Torres Blancas high-rise with a renovation that remains “in constant dialogue” with the original apartment design.

      Designed in 1961 by architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíz, Torres Blancas is a 71-metre-high exposed concrete tower featuring cylindrical shapes that create bulbous balconies on its facade and curved rooms inside.
      Studio Noju renovated the largest apartment in Torres BlancasStudio Noju overhauled the 1040 unit – the brutalist building’s biggest apartment – to balance its history with contemporary design details, according to the firm.
      “Our interior design proposal for the apartment takes inspiration from the original ideas that the architect came up with for the building,” studio co-founder Antonio Mora told Dezeen.
      Recovered terrace space is characterised by green tilesA key part of the project involved expanding the apartment’s exterior area on the first floor from 15 to almost 80 square metres to create the amount of outdoor space that existed before multiple past renovations of the tower.

      This expansion added terraces that are characterised by curved floor-to-ceiling glazing and slatted crimson shutters. These open onto gleaming green ceramic tiles that take cues from 1960s interiors and form built-in benches, fountains and planters that follow the terraces’ meandering contours.
      Visitors enter at a semi-circular foyer”The outdoor spaces have been once again consolidated into a continuous terrace that follows the outline of the original plan,” explained Mora, who set up Studio Noju with Eduardo Tazón in 2020.
      “There is a constant dialogue between many of the solutions we have proposed in the interior design of the apartment with those proposed more than 50 years ago by Sáenz de Oiza.”
      White walls and ceilings create an airy open-plan first floorVisitors enter the apartment at a semi-circular foyer featuring Segovia black slate and wine-red panelling – the same materials used in the building’s communal areas.
      The open-plan ground floor is interrupted by snaking white structural walls, such as a partition in the living room that features repetitive circular openings.
      The kitchen was formed from a continuous countertopA continuous custom-made countertop with a subtle green hue forms the kitchen area, which includes a statement bulbous sink that echoes Torres Blancas’ cylindrical facade.
      Light reflects from the original glass-brick tinted windows and illuminates the smooth resin floor and metallic wall accents.
      Studio Noju salvaged an original brass banister for the staircaseWhite geometric treads create a floating staircase with an original polished brass banister that leads to the first floor. Upstairs, a sequence of bedrooms is characterised by oak ceilings that contrast with the bright white ceilings on the ground floor.
      Each bathroom is playfully colour-coded with individual mosaics of bright tiles, complete with sconce lights, mirrors and cabinetry that follow the rounded shapes found throughout the apartment.
      Each bathroom has colour-coded tiles”The [mosaic] material allowed us to solve all the elements of the bathroom such as shower areas, vanities, walls and floors, referencing a similar material strategy used in the original design,” said Mora.
      Adjacent to the main bedroom, the first-floor terrace includes a large green tile-clad outdoor bathtub cloaked in a sheer curtain, which is flanked by plants that were positioned to absorb the water produced by bathing.

      Casa Olivar is a Madrid apartment designed as a “sensorial refuge”

      “The element that we are most proud of is the feeling of a house-patio that has been recovered in the apartment,” reflected Mora.
      “The unit once again revolves around the exterior spaces, and these seem to blend with the interior through the curved traces of green tiles that enter and exit the living room and dining area,” added the architect.
      “Our biggest challenge was striking a balance between honouring the building, but at the same time imbuing the interior design with our language.”
      The first floor terrace features an outdoor bathtubStudio Noju showcased a similar colourful style in its debut project, which involved the renovation of an open-plan Seville apartment.
      Torres Blancas was among the buildings captured by photographer Roberto Conte in his series of brutalist buildings in Madrid.
      The photography is by José Hevia. 

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      Yana Molodykh refurbishes attic apartment with views over Kyiv

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      Ukrainian designer Yana Molodykh has renovated a compact apartment in Kyiv, creating a light-filled space with storage fitted around the building’s existing structural framework.

      The 50-square-metre apartment, which was christened with a housewarming party a few days before the start of the Ukraine war, is a pied-à-terre for a couple that lives in one of the capital’s suburbs and likes to spend weekends in the city centre.
      Yana Molodykh has renovated an attic apartment in KyivThe apartment is located on the attic level of a modern eight-storey building in the historic Podil district, which the owners chose because it reminds them of their home city of Kherson.
      The existing interior was divided by a series of metal columns and partition walls, with small windows, zinc-profiled flooring and steel roof beams making the rooms feel dark and cluttered.
      The apartment was redesigned to let in more daylightMolodykh completely reorganised the space, removing internal walls, adding effective soundproofing and enlarging the windows to let in more sunlight.

      The designer wanted to create a bright and eclectic space reminiscent of Kherson’s resort atmosphere, with materials chosen to bring natural warmth and texture into the daylit interior.
      Wooden joinery adds warmth and texture to the interior space”I aimed to create a true atmosphere of living under the roof,” the designer told Dezeen. “When you are at the top of a building every action occurs below you, so you can observe and enjoy the view. Also, I wanted there to be no obstacles to daylight.”
      The main requests from the client were for a cosy living area and a comfortable and functional kitchen where the couple can cook and entertain.
      Some of the home’s steel structure was left exposedWooden flooring and joinery contribute to the warm and relaxing atmosphere, Molodykh said, with details such as the sheer curtains and paper Akari floor lamp from Vitra adding “airy” accents.
      Some of the building’s steel structure was left exposed while other parts were concealed behind shelves in the living room and the closets in the bedroom.
      Built-in storage that extends all the way to the ceiling optimises the apartment’s available height. And in the dining area, storage for tableware is cleverly integrated behind one of the columns.

      Makhno Studio celebrates Ukrainian craft in all-beige home near Kyiv

      The smallest room in the apartment is the 6.4-square-metre bedroom, which features a bed raised on a podium and a wardrobe set into a niche behind a column.
      A large beam that crosses the space was boxed in to prevent the uncomfortable feeling of a heavy metal structure overhead, while built-in shelves by the bed help to free up floor space.
      The steel beam in the bedroom was boxed inThe apartment’s compact entrance area features a tiled floor and a blue accent door, creating a visual buffer between the interior and exterior.
      A small dressing area is slotted in between the beams and columns next to the entrance, hidden behind sliding doors with mirrored panels.
      Geometric patterned tiles also feature in the bathroom, which contains a freestanding bathtub and shower cubicle along with terracotta ceramic sconces by Ukrainian designer Julia Kononenko.
      Geometric floor tiles define the apartment’s entranceMolodykh mixed tiles from four different brands to create a layered effect influenced by her appreciation of Ukrainian constructivist architecture, much of which is currently falling victim to Russian shelling.
      “I wanted to link the apartment’s interior with important buildings nearby including the Zhytniy market and Zhovten cinema,” the designer explained.
      “I admire their architecture, lines, proportions and ideas, so I wanted to pay my tribute. That is why the bathroom looks slightly different from the rest of the apartment. It makes the project more eclectic and more corresponding to its surroundings.”
      The tiling in the bathroom was informed by Ukrainian constructivist architecturePodil is one of Kyiv’s oldest districts and today, its early-20th-century buildings are neighboured by modern constructions and high-rise hotels.
      These diverse architectural styles contribute to the cosmopolitan feel of the neighbourhood, which has not escaped the Ukraine war unscathed. In March 2022, a missile destroyed a building in the district some distance away from the apartment.
      But Molodykh said that despite everything, people in the area still look to their homes as havens amidst the ongoing war.
      The apartment is located in Kyiv’s historic Podil district”Even these days, people enjoy their cosy interiors and warm home atmosphere where they can spend time with families and close friends supporting each other,” she said.
      Molodykh currently lives between here and Krakow in Poland, as it is easier for her to work on projects from outside of Ukraine.
      Other projects in Kyiv that were completed just before the war and are just starting to be published in recent months include an all-beige home in the city’s outskirts by architect Sergey Makhno and the HQ of fashion label Sleeper, which is housed in a former shoe factory.
      The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

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      Dumbo Loft by Crystal Sinclair Designs features a book-filled mezzanine

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      Interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs has renovated a loft apartment in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood to include a mezzanine with a wall of books and a bedroom behind a glass partition.

      Upstate New York studio Crystal Sinclair Designs overhauled the space for a well-travelled lawyer and writer.
      The loft’s high ceilings enabled a mezzanine library to be addedThe client purchased the loft during the early Covid-19 pandemic in Dumbo, an area that has seen extensive conversion of buildings into luxury apartments.
      Sinclair’s aim was to retain the industrial look of the space, while incorporating a mix of furnishings that offer a European flair and nod to some of the locations where her client has spent time.
      Crystal Sinclair Designs retained the industrial materials and kept surfaces bright”[She] wanted to incorporate certain elements that are representative of the places she’s lived and worked before,” Sinclair said.

      “To that end, we worked in a nuristani mirror and a tribal qashqai rug purchased in Afghanistan, a statement chandelier from Italy, and her entire and not insubstantial library.”
      In the kitchen area, arabascato marble contrasts a farmhouse-style islandThe concrete shell was largely left exposed, balanced with antique pieces like an easel and a leather wingback chair to add more story and a “lived-in” feel.
      “The space itself led the way,” said Sinclair, who founded her eponymous studio with her husband, Ben. “The idea was to draw attention to the high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling drapes and a metal/glass partition wall. As the space is bright, we decided to paint everything white.”
      Floor-to-ceiling glass panels divide the living space and the bedroomThe 1,190-square-foot (110-square-metre) apartment features a concrete coffered ceiling that reaches over 14 feet (four metres).
      Thanks to this height, an L-shaped mezzanine could be added to provide a space to store the client’s book collection.
      One wall is covered in wooden battens that create a relief patternA ladder beside a window provides access to the upper level, where bookshelves displaying the extensive library almost cover the whole wall.
      Underneath are a row of tall cabinets, and the kitchen that features slabs of white and grey arabascato marble that contrasts a wooden farmhouse-style island.
      The eclectic selection of furniture was chosen to help give the space a lived-in feelIn the living room, a cream boucle sofa is paired with a Moroccan rug, while a giant crystal chandelier hangs overhead.
      The corner bedroom is partitioned from the rest of the space by floor-to-ceiling glass panels housed within black metal frames.

      Andrea Leung conceals “secret spaces” within renovated Tribeca Loft

      A white linen curtain can be pulled across to obscure the neutral-toned sleeping area from view. A desk also runs the length of a wall, for the client to use on the days that she works from home.
      Elsewhere, original structural columns are wrapped in tiles around their lower halves, and a section of wall is covered with wood battens that create a relief pattern.
      Linen curtains can be drawn to provide privacy in the bedroom”We played with it and kept everything bright and airy,” Sinclair said. “All we needed to do was to layer in order to give the space depth and purpose.”
      Loft apartments are typified by high ceilings, large windows and expansive open floor plans, and are commonly found in former industrial neighbourhoods of Brooklyn.
      Antique pieces help to imbue the spaces with a European flairOther areas of New York City, like Tribeca, are similarly full of historic warehouses and factories that have been converted for residential use.
      In these types of buildings, recently completed projects include an apartment by Andrea Leung with “secret spaces” hidden behind a mirrored wall and a penthouse by Worrell Yeung where industrial finishes are contrasted with the “pure minimal lines” of new fittings.
      The photography is by Seth Caplan.
      Project credits:
      Interior design: Crystal Sinclair DesignsStylist: Mariana Marcki-Matos

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      Tala Fustok fills Hyde Park apartment with contemporary art and vintage furniture

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      Tala Fustok Studio has transformed the interior of an apartment in west London into a “calm sanctuary” containing carefully chosen artworks and furnishings influenced by the travels of its owner.

      The Palace Gate apartment is located on the fourth floor of a Victorian mansion block neighbouring Hyde Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
      Tala Fustok has designed the The Palace Gate apartment in LondonLocal interior designer Tala Fustok set out to turn the four-bedroom property into a relaxing pied-a-terre containing a collection of contemporary artworks.
      “I wanted to create a calm sanctuary to balance the hustle and bustle of the city and the owner’s lifestyle,” Fustok told Dezeen.
      “Our client is an ardent traveller, frequenting North Africa and copious European cities,” she added. “We wanted to ensure this was reflected in the design, as a sort of escapism and bringing a dose or reminder of those settings to their London home.”

      Integrated storage conceals steel beams in the living roomThe interior features a palette of soft colours intended to evoke a sunset, with textures of stone and earthy fabrics adding to the nomadic and natural feel.
      The 252-square-metre interior was reorganised through several structural interventions that opened up the living and dining area, as well as combining two bedrooms to form a large principal bedroom and dressing area.
      A woven chair and a vase from east London’s M.A.H Gallery stand in the entrance hallIn the main living space, steel beams are concealed within a room divider featuring curved surfaces and open shelves that allow light and views throughout, while providing spaces for displaying artwork.
      Deep hues and textures including plastered walls and velvet upholstery add richness and variety to the scheme, making the most of the light that floods into the southwest-facing spaces.
      Wooden cabinetry contrasts with brass details in the kitchenA monochromatic colour scheme forms a simple backdrop for the artworks, vintage furniture and bespoke elements created to enhance the home’s restful atmosphere.
      Fustok’s studio was involved in selecting the unique furnishings and art for the home in order to elevate the spaces and create consistency throughout the different rooms.

      Tala Fustok Studio layers different metals to create calm ambience in Manhattan loft apartment

      A pared-back entrance hall – containing a Venetian mirror, a woven chair and a vase from east London’s M.A.H Gallery – leads through to the dining room where a mirror from The Antique Mirror Company hangs above a painted brick fireplace.
      A 1970s Italian travertine table combines with a curved sofa to create a space for informal dining. On top of the table is a centrepiece from London’s Vessel gallery and beneath sits a shaggy rug by designer Tim Page.
      A huge pink-velvet bed is the centrepiece of the bedroomFustok added double arched doors to connect the dining room with the adjacent kitchen, where wooden cabinetry contrasts with brass details including the cooker hood.
      The living room features a travertine fireplace along with a mirror and rug that match those used in the dining room. Bespoke furnishings made of bleached plywood, brass and timber contribute to the space’s relaxed, rustic character.
      The same pink tones carry over into the bathroomIn the main bedroom, a 1960s-style bed upholstered in dusty pink velvet provides a bold centrepiece.
      The tapestry above the bed is from London gallery Schmid McDonagh, while a bespoke mirror by French artist Christophe Gaignon is positioned above the stone fireplace.
      A dressing area alongside the main bedroom is arranged around a bespoke storage island wrapped in leather and plywood, which is illuminated from above by a pendant light from British design studio Pinch.
      The dressing room is arranged around a bespoke storage islandThe Moroccan-informed en-suite bathroom contains a bespoke travertine sink and zellige tiles in the shower. The design of this space encapsulates the nomadic inspirations seen throughout the residence.
      Tala Fustok studied at the Architectural Association before setting up her studio in west London.
      Her previous projects include a Manhattan loft with a calm ambience and an office for game developer Ninja Theory in Cambridge, which features a blood-red bar and an all-blue cinema room.
      The styling is by Sania Pell and photography by Michael Sinclair.

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      Parramon + Tahull adds tiled floors and bespoke joinery to refurbished Barcelona apartment

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      Barcelona studio Parramon + Tahull has renovated a traditional apartment in the city’s Gracia neighbourhood, adding birch plywood joinery and ceramic tiling to complement the building’s original features.

      The apartment is home to a family of four, which has lived there for several years and wanted to carry out a significant overhaul of the outdated interior.
      Parramon + Tahull has renovated an apartment in BarcelonaThe clients asked local architects Lluís Parramon and Emma Tahull to oversee the transformation of the space to provide an open living area and kitchen, along with separate bedrooms for each of their two daughters.
      The apartment is located on the upper floor of a five-storey building dating from the 1900s. A previous renovation undertaken around 20 years ago had altered the layout and destroyed most of the original features.
      The studio added bespoke joinery including a small built-in deskParramon + Tahull began by removing all of the existing partition walls in order to create a brighter and more practical series of spaces within the compact floor plan.

      The rearranged interior also provides plenty of usable storage and restores some of the original details, including wooden beams that had been painted white by the previous owners.
      Terracotta tiles cover floors throughout the apartment”We wanted to bring natural light into all the spaces and to achieve a sense of flowing, continuous space despite the limited surface area,” Tahull told Dezeen.
      “We were interested in working with natural materials and returning some of the original spirit of the building to the apartment.”
      Bespoke joinery is also provides storage in the bedroomsDue to its small size, the architects paid close attention to the choice of materials and layout in order to create a serene, spacious feel.
      “To achieve all the client’s goals, we had to work on a very precise scale of detail, designing all of the furniture to measure in order to take advantage of every square centimetre,” Tahull explained.

      NeuronaLab reorganises Barcelona loft with blue stair storage unit

      The interior utilises a palette of predominantly natural materials, chosen to complement the wooden beams while providing an element of tonal and textural contrast.
      Parramon + Tahull chose ceramic tiles from Spanish manufacturer Wow to create a continuous flooring surface throughout the entire apartment, including the kitchen and bathroom.
      Glossy white tiles clad the walls in the bathroom”We were looking for a small-format tile so the feeling of space would be bigger,” Tahull added. “We also wanted to play with a tapestry-like colour scheme that included white, because white gives a great luminosity and echoes the white of other elements.”
      The white and terracotta-coloured tiles include different formats, textures and surface finishes ranging from glossy to matte.
      White grout is used for the floors throughout the rooms, while the bathroom walls are clad in white tiles with contrasting reddish grout.
      Reddish grout provides a visual contrastBespoke fitted cabinetry made from birch plywood provides practical storage in every room, as well as in the hallway. Along with the tiles, the wood forms a consistent element that unites the spaces.
      Lluís Parramon and Emma Tahull founded their studio in 1997. The office focuses on delivering comfortable, contextual and energy-efficient architectural projects for private and commercial clients.
      The photography is by Judith Casas Sayós.

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      Casa Olivar is a Madrid apartment designed as a “sensorial refuge”

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      Designers Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have transformed a traditional two-storey apartment in Madrid, Spain, into a tranquil home for themselves featuring a pared-back palette of natural materials and crafted details.

      Casa Olivar is located in a typical corrala – a type of apartment building found in the old parts of Madrid, where housing units are accessed from external covered corridors.
      Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have designed their own apartment in MadridThe apartment’s interior was in poor condition when Ferrari and Gallo purchased the property, and decided to convert it into a contemporary home.
      The design retains some of the building’s historical features while reorganising the compact interior to create a series of light and bright interconnected spaces.
      Its living room is flooded with light via two huge windowsFerrari and Gallo describe the apartment as a “non-urban place, a sensorial refuge to reconnect with ourselves, regulate our emotions and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the outside world”.

      The couple used a pared-back material palette to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere, making the most of the daylight that enters the interior through two large windows in the living room.
      Arched openings separate the dining area from the living room”The intervention is characterised by a spatial continuity and a warm minimalism,” the duo explained. “It seeks to elevate natural light and encourage the use of local craft materials, generating a close dialogue between light and materiality.”
      A central partition dividing the dining area from the living room was altered by adding a pair of lowered arches that echo the proportions of the facade openings.
      Aluminium kitchen fronts provide a counterpoint to the muted colour paletteLight from the windows passes through the openings to reach the kitchen, while the bedroom downstairs receives indirect illumination from a pair of openings in the floor above.
      Throughout the interior, the designers chose to use simple and authentic materials, featuring predominantly earthy tones.
      “The approach is to be honest with the materials, respecting their authentic appearance and textures while prioritising natural resources and local craftsmanship,” Ferrari and Gallo explained.

      Vibrant glazed tiles divvy up Madrid apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera

      The apartment’s entrance opens directly into the kitchen and dining area, which is arranged around a sculptural table designed by the couple that features a textural Tadelakt plaster finish.
      Floors are covered with handmade terracotta tiles to create consistency between the spaces. The same tiles are used in the bathroom, with their varying dimensions giving each space a unique quality.
      The bedroom receives indirect illumination from openings in the floor aboveTables and display stands were created using stone salvaged during the renovation process, while the kitchen’s aluminium storage units provide a contemporary counterpoint to the natural tones and textures.
      Gallo designed the textiles used within the apartment to add texture and dynamism to the spaces. These include a draped nylon curtain that echoes the warm tones used in the bathroom.
      Draped nylon fabric acts as a shower curtain in the bathroomOther works of art and craft bring personality to the apartment, such as the washbasin made by designer María Lázaro and a hammock woven in Colombia using traditional techniques.
      Ferrari moved from Italy to Madrid in 2008 after completing his architecture studies at the University of Ferrara. He founded his own studio in 2015, which focuses on using simple gestures to create timeless and familiar spaces.
      The photography is by Asier Rua.

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