Signed by WF Arquitetos, apartment in the city of São Paulo values privacy while acknowledging the importance of a cozy atmosphere.

Quite often, privacy and comfort are everything a family could wish for in a home. A couple working in the financial market was looking not only for those qualities but also for an up-to-date, practical, and welcoming project, with plenty of room for each family member to build upon their uniqueness and develop their hobbies. In order to fulfill said requests, the architects Stephanie Nigri Wolff and Beatriz Fujinaka, from WF Arquitetos, began to take action.

Renovated into a contemporary style, the 670 m² duplex apartment, located in the capital of São Paulo, received the most private spaces, composed of four suites and a family room in the mezzanine, located on the top floor. Downstairs, live-work areas, such as living room, home theater, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and bike room, were set.

“The apartment was bare, with neither coating, flooring, nor lining. The mezzanine slab was extended in order to create alignments and improve the family room area”, the architects point out. In addition, some internal walls were altered in order to adjust to the desired layout. They have also turned the master suite into two separate bathrooms, one for each spouse. 

According to Stephanie and Beatriz, one of the biggest challenges was to turn the living room into a cozy environment, on account of the double height ceiling, and the glass and aluminum frames. For that reason, they have chosen to line the double height ceiling, the stone slab, and the mezzanine’s windowsill with wood. “We have created a coziness effect, making the area below and above the mezzanine more interesting and visually enhanced”, they explain. The same resource was used in the home theater, making the residents feel “hugged” while relaxing in the room. 

They observe that both the lighting and the carpentry were essential for such a big, spacious apartment to have the coziness required. Regarding the lighting, warm tones prevail, with soft and indirect light, decorative lampshades, and pelmet lighting. In the wood lining, recessed lights minimize the impact on the ceiling. 

In the social areas with smaller measurements, white is predominant, providing clarity, lightness, spaciousness and expansion. On the other hand, in areas where more intimacy and warmth were required, like the master suite, office, home theater and social hall, Stephanie and Beatriz have added wooden elements.

Despite the challenge of creating a visual connection among the various spaces in the house, considering each one of them has a purpose, the architects have aligned the materials so the whole apartment had an identity. Besides that, they sought to use a contemporary and neutral language, with cozier furnishings and materials, as seen in the sofa fabric, the use of natural wood in furniture, lining, and panels, and in focal points with signed national design pieces.