00:05I really wanted the feeling of protected nest in between the street and the backyard.
00:10The project began with the idea of a flat as an extension of the city itself.
00:16Rather than sharp boundaries between interior and exterior,
00:20the intention was to soften them, allowing the city to enter the space
00:24and the apartment to dissolve into its urban context,
00:28where I could feel a bit of nature and peace.
00:31I lived in a property for two years with my girlfriend and our son.
00:35I recently moved out and now my brother lives here.
00:39I am Jose, founder of Jose Studio, and I'm an architect.
00:50This flat is located in Camp Luric in Lisbon.
00:53The location is quite magic.
00:55It has everything we need within a 10-minute walk.
00:59There is also the beautiful Jardim da Estrela, one of the few gardens in Lisbon,
01:04located just in front of the stunning Basilica da Estrela.
01:09The building was constructed in 1958 and it's mainly residential,
01:14except for the ground floor, which contains two commercial spaces,
01:17the night gallery and the coffee shop, as well as this flat,
01:21which was formerly used by the local council.
01:26The flat was quite disorganized.
01:28It was darker, with smaller windows at the rear,
01:31while at the front there was one window and one door opening directly into the street.
01:37The interior lacked character and did not include a kitchen.
01:40The bathroom was in poor condition due to water and sewage leaks.
01:46And the area that now functions as a social space was originally split into two disconnected rooms,
01:53with very little connection to the backyard.
01:57The project was structurally very conservative.
02:00It needed to be done with a very small budget,
02:03so the layout itself didn't change much.
02:06The only expressive demolition was the opening up the wall between the kitchen and the living room.
02:13The kitchen was designed and built from scratch, as it didn't previously exist,
02:18while the bathroom was fully renovated.
02:21A glass block wall was added at the entrance to create a separation between the street and the flat,
02:27providing an additional layer of protection.
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03:35The main entrance is within the communal area of the building.
03:41When entering the flat, there is a nice entrance hole that can actually fit a few people comfortably.
03:47There is an IMS Hang It All coat rack and below it, a stool designed by 31 Studio, used when
03:54putting on shoes.
03:55I added an old mirror and found a little storage unit on the street near the flat.
04:01It ended up being perfect to put keys, wallets and shoes.
04:06The living room also serves as the dining area and forms part of an intimate triangle between the living room,
04:13kitchen and backyard.
04:15One doesn't exist without the others.
04:18The three-seater sofa is from IKEA.
04:21It doesn't convert into a bed, but that hasn't stopped us from taking naps on it and it can still
04:26work for guests.
04:29The bookshelves are freestanding IKEA units and I love how the metal contrasts with the lime plastered walls.
04:36The puffs were a present from my grandmother.
04:39We mostly use it as a foot rest, but when friends come over, they can sit on them as well.
04:45The living room was our favorite space of the flat.
04:49The dining table was the most difficult piece of furniture to find.
04:53I won it in an online auction.
04:55It's an extendable dining table from the 60s, which can sit up to 6 people.
05:01It has a chromed base and a laminated wood table top, which I think really suits the style of the
05:06flat.
05:08The chairs were a present from a good friend who is also an architect.
05:13We chose a round table because we think it generates more space and it's easier to put more people in
05:19a small area.
05:22I love kitchens and I love to cook.
05:24And I really wanted a technical kitchen, easy to use, simple.
05:30I designed a stainless steel shelf to put jars, fruits, lights, candles and below that there are rails and hooks
05:37from IKEA to hang the kitchen tools.
05:40I like this technical side of the kitchen, it makes me want to use it.
05:45The undercounter cabinets are custom made and then I painted the door and drawer fronts.
05:50The lower part of the kitchen accommodates the oven, hob, sink and hidden dishwasher.
05:58For the countertop I chose liosh, a typical stone from the region to match the existing chimney surrounds.
06:06On the opposite side there is the fridge and a storage unit I found online and picked up just one
06:12block away from here.
06:13It matches the color of the new january. It is used to store food, cups and other kitchen items.
06:20For the wall storage, instead of filling it up, I thought it would be nicer given the small area to
06:26free up that wall a bit to give a sense of lightness.
06:34The courtyard feels like the lung of the flat.
06:37What was a dark courtyard now feels more like a tropical hug.
06:41The planters and seating area were designed for that purpose.
06:46The door is open probably 50% of the time, so the birds are usually the general soundtrack.
06:53The existing windowsill was standard height, so the window parapet was demolished and it was replaced for a bigger tilt
07:00window.
07:02The existing door was a double-leaf wooden door which opened to the inside.
07:08These changes allowed an extension of the indoor living space to the exterior.
07:14At night the atmosphere changes completely.
07:17The soundtrack of birds is replaced by cutlery, conversation and laughter, which come from an own local institution beyond that
07:25wall.
07:26It's such a great privilege to have a private space outside.
07:30Before the renovation, the office space was a shop, so the entrance from the street opened directly into the office.
07:39Inside, there is a glazed desk.
07:41While a full wall of curtains conceals a DIY storage system for hanging clothes.
07:49I introduced a curved glass block wall to create a buffer between the street front and the room.
07:56You can now sit in the room with the door open without feeling exposed.
08:01The small intervention completely transformed the atmosphere.
08:06The red metal gate can also be folded open.
08:10In many ways, it works like a balcony.
08:13My brother comes here every morning to read in the sun.
08:17The point where the home meets the neighborhood.
08:20Allowing the street to become an extension of the flat.
08:28The main bedroom is the area with least intervention.
08:32Everything needed to be done on a tight budget, so I only changed the window frames and added security bars
08:39to get rid of the existing and heavy shutters.
08:43The curtain is slightly recessed and instead of having a drying rack placed somewhere inside of the flat, this space
08:50between the curtain and the window is also used to hang and dry laundry.
08:54In order to soften up the room, I felt it needed quite a lot of fabrics.
08:59It now feels warmer and private even though the space has a window towards the street.
09:05The double glazed aluminum framed windows were the largest investment in the project.
09:11Given the ground floor location of the flat, it felt essential for security, acoustic comfort and thermal performance.
09:22For the bathroom, I wanted to make it stand out from the rest of the home, so I introduced some
09:27color.
09:28There's green mosaic tiles in the building's facade, so I sort of brought a similar tile and color to this
09:34room.
09:35But I don't know what came first, if it was that or the idea of a deep dive in a
09:40forest.
09:41I decided not to add a vanity around the sink, as I liked the simple floating look.
09:47Instead, I added a green IKEA display unit by the door, which actually stores a lot more stuff.
09:55We decided at the time it would be best to have a bathtub.
09:59You can always have a shower in a bathtub, but you can't have a bath in a shower.
10:05In the corridor, there is a laundry space, which is also the technical core of the house.
10:10The shelves were all DIY'd by myself.
10:14The room is messy, but it's an important part of the house.
10:18There's a washing machine, boiler and space for cleaning supplies.
10:23The floors are mostly original, except in the bathroom and backyard.
10:28I particularly love the zhūninga floor used in the kitchen and office.
10:34Even though the flat is small, our son loved it and I have great memories of us laughing and running
10:39around here.
10:41I think there is a myth around small spaces.
10:44It's not really about scale.
10:46A small space can be a magical place too.
10:49And it makes more sense than nowadays to talk about these ways of living.
10:53With the increasing price per square meter and the lack of space in the cities,
10:57I believe more people will seek this kind of living.
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11:11To be continued...
11:15To be continued...
11:21And have a great day at the time...
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