CACAU APARTMENT
BRAGA, PORTUGAL, 2019
This is an apartment from the '80s, with 100m2 of area, located in the city centre of Braga, Portugal. Built for a typical housing scenario of the 20th century, it incorporates a compartmentalized system of rooms served by a distribution hall, living room, kitchen and a bathroom. The apartment was envisioned for its new residents, a young couple and their 2 pets, Cacau and Mia. From early stages, the apartment´s renovation has aimed to reflect the minimalist personalities of its new inhabitants, prioritizing the connection and fluidity between the living spaces and the terrace, where they would have the possibility to entertain friends and family in an outdoor space, while also allowing the pets to enjoy this outdoor space.
Considering the new residents' change of lifestyle, the need for a large number of partitions between the structured spaces in the apartment was no longer required, making this the starting point for the re-design of the apartment. The strategy consisted of the demolition of divisions that delimited the kitchen and the social area, thus ensuring a connection and transformation of these spaces into a larger social area, ending up being only visually separated by the ceramic floor and the balcony.
Since this was an old and narrow apartment with old two fronts, it has become essential to fully exploit the natural lighting of the apartment. In order to increase the solar incidence and improve ventilation in the central areas, the partition that joined the hall and the social area was demolished. In addition, to avoid a setback to the process of extending the available space and introducing more natural light, a new piece of furniture was designed, connecting and serving both the hall and the kitchen. This functional, practical and elegant piece enables the separation of the two areas through a movable window frame.
Due to the reduced size of the apartment, it became important to introduce storage units along the distribution corridor, articulating different functions to the available spaces. The existing service bathroom was separated into two distinct areas. The purity of the rooms was contaminated by the play of contrasts by applying white colour and oak wood, therefore providing a warm feeling to the home environment. The use of materials such as wood and tile, as well as the study of the colour palette and the combination of light and shadows, gave life to the project with an elegant and balanced atmosphere.
Architects: OBRA ATELIER, www.obraatelier.com
photographer: Pedro Sarmento
