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Brazilian architect Franco Luiz Faust and the team at Solo Arquitetos transformed this once-incomplete “skeleton” apartment into a comfortable, personalised retreat for him and his wife, Maria, with the goal of maximising storage and practicality without compromising on style. Keeping the existing floor plan intact and removing only the existing kitchen wall, replacing it with a large double-sided custom wooden joinery unit, serving both the kitchen and living/dining area. A built-in storage bench and oblong table in the dining area have an extra touch of comfort and colour in the form of a padded backrest finished in moss-green linen. The bedroom features a custom L-shaped wardrobe designed for maximum space efficiency, whilst the second bedroom, currently set up as an office, has been designed to easily be converted into a second bedroom in the future.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Ep 152
Project Name: Apartamento Ladrilho
Architect: https://soloarquitetos.com/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Nam Tran
Cinematographer: theggrau https://set.page/thgg/
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jessica Ruasol
Music: Dots and Fireflies by Goldstein from Artlist.io
Transcript
00:03My wife and I wanted a place with a reduced material pallet, large storage space and something that
00:11conveys lightness. A place that we could rest and recharge. Our greatest wish when we settled in
00:23this apartment was that it would become a place of unforgettable memories of our first years as
00:27a married couple and also be able to welcome our development of their family. My name is Franco
00:37Luiz Faust, I'm a Brazilian architect, one of the founders of Sol Architects. I live here with my
00:43wife, Maria Eduarda, who is an urban planner and our cat Aurora.
00:58Curitiba is the capital of the state called Paraná in Sander, Brazil. The apartment is located close to the Spain
01:06Square, a bohemian spot in Curitiba.
01:11Curitiba is known for a lot of parks, trees, and it's urbanistic plan that was designed by Jarmi Lerner.
01:22When we first found the apartment, it was not fully completed. The walls were blank and we have bare concrete
01:31on the floors.
01:31In Brazil, we call that a skeleton apartment. There was an open kitchen, living and dining space, a bathroom and
01:40two bedrooms, one with an ensuite.
01:43We removed the existing walls within the kitchen and the laundry area for a more open layout. A multifunctional unit
01:51was added between the kitchen and the living room and it serves both areas.
01:56We added a small wall in the dining area to add a custom dining bench along the wall. The rest
02:02of the apartment layout remained the same.
02:08At the entrance, there is a space for us to hang coats, hats and take off our shoes.
02:13The hangers were designed by a friend Rodolfo Scucciato and produced by his furniture brand Jabuti Atelier. It also has
02:21four drawers where we leave our keys, glasses and where we store receipts, tools and medicines.
02:29For the kitchen, the aim was to design space that maximize storage. The main functions of the kitchen are along
02:37the wall of the apartment.
02:39With space for a pantry, some appliances like a microwave and a coffee machine, a full-size fridge, an oven,
02:47a gas cooktop and a sink.
02:50The countertop and black space are made from Kronos Paraná, which is a local marble produced here in Curitiba.
02:57Below the window is the washing machine.
03:01Between the kitchen and the living room is the new division unit, made from a single cabinet that serves both
03:08the kitchen side and the living side.
03:11On the kitchen side, it houses a cabinet with inbuilt lights and fluted glass doors. Behind the doors are glasses,
03:19below are some drawers for cutlery.
03:24At the end of the unit, we add a few bookshelves, which helps to soften up the space.
03:30On the living room side, it functions as a support for a mounting television, with a niche for devices below
03:36and a small shelf above.
03:38The living room receives a lot of natural light from the balcony windows.
03:43There are linen curtains to also allow filtered lights to come through the apartment, but also provide some privacy when
03:50needed.
03:51There is a simple gray couch with gray-toned pillows.
03:56Complementing the decor is the Eclipse Cove Table, produced by Studio Latino Design and designed by Max Campa, a good
04:04friend of mine.
04:07The floor is Sukupira Chestnut, which is a local type of wood. It covers the living and dining, and goes
04:14all the way to the master bedroom.
04:18For the dining area, we add a special custom enblanc table. The table was designed specially for this apartment, but
04:26now is a real product that you can buy.
04:29On one side, the table has two summit chairs, also designed by Max Campa.
04:35On the other side, there is a built-in bench along the wall. This bench is made from joinery and
04:42hides more storage space.
04:44We keep larger objects here, which you don't use as often.
04:49Above the bench is a floating bookshelf with strip lights to create a nice ambience to this corner of the
04:56room.
05:00On the balcony, there are two outdoor armchairs, large ornamental pots with plants and a discreet tank.
05:08There is a sink in the balcony that we use to do some gardening and clean some dirtier items.
05:17We wanted to reflect our personality as a couple, as individuals.
05:23Green is my favorite color, and was added to the social area, because I'm a more extroverted person.
05:31And we applied the blue color, that is Maria's preference, in the bedroom, because she's a more reserved person.
05:39The main solution here was to design a left-shaped wardrobe in the suite.
05:44This shape emerged from the search for the maximum excitation possible, to also allow the circulation around the bed.
05:52The wardrobe has two different depths.
05:55In the larger part, the wardrobe is narrower, and is intended for folded clothes and shoes.
06:04While the smaller part, the wardrobe gains depth for hangers.
06:13We made small changes to the ensuite bathroom, with the entry reducing material waste.
06:20The ensuite bathroom only had ceramic tiles and a toilet.
06:24We added a vanity, shower, mirrors and a black cabinet.
06:32The second bathroom also had only ceramic tiles and a toilet, so we applied the same logic of the ensuite
06:39bathroom.
06:40It also works as Aurora's bathroom. We keep the kitty litter there.
06:49The office is one of our favorite rooms.
06:53It has a desk, an additional wardrobe and a cabinet, which we use to store our records and turntables.
07:01It also where I store my musical instruments.
07:04We planned the layout of this room, thinking about transforming into a bedroom in the future.
07:12It was one of the challenges being the architect and the client at the same time.
07:16There is an emotional side of it, along with the rational side of the budget that was a little limited.
07:22We have dreams and we have to invest and make choices.
07:27This is my home. It's also like a showcase for my clients.
07:33It's like I'm validating some solutions that it's not necessary to have larger properties, but rather to have a good
07:40design.
07:40All right.
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