Article source: ATELIER 106

The existing apartment, which was inherited by the clients, kept the original design, with a layout characterised by sucupira floors and arch-shaped dark wooden doors and compartmentalized spaces. All these elements translated into a dark space, despite the sizeable existing spans.

The first objective was to eliminate the existing doors and the opening up of spaces, as well as the natural lighting of the spaces. The premises were to create communicating, fluid spaces with a present-day design.

For this purpose, some walls were torn down in order to develop a wider relation between the social areas: hall, kitchen, living room and dining room. The beams resulting from the demolition of these walls were 60cm, and were therefore assumed as part of the design, dictating the height of the spans and of the carpentry. On the other hand, the spans in the living room and in the dining-room were “ripped open” so as to be transformed into balcony windows instead of the hung windows, giving more light to this area and, consequently, to the hall and to the access to the bedrooms.

Image Courtesy © Do Mal O Menos

• Architects: ATELIER 106
• Project: Apartment in Restelo
• Location: Restelo, Portugal
• Photography: Do Mal O Menos
  
• Area: 100 m2

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