Blue Bahia

Panama, Panama

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Blue Bahia

Panama, Panama

Firm

Bettis Tarazi Arquitectos

Type

Residential › Apartment

YEAR

2010

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Residential design projects, spaces that are contemporary and functional, but always elegant,sophisticated and luxurious

The apartment on the 39th floor of the tower named Blue Bahia is a two level 4,040sqf home. The building, located in Panama City’s high-end neighborhood of Punta Pacifica, has views of the Bay of Panama and the Pacific Ocean.

Our client for this project, a successful businessman and his wife, gave us a very clear concept: they wanted an elegant, imposing and luxurious apartment. Now with their two children away at college, they intended to make the most of their new place offering dinner parties and cocktails for their friends and family. Therefore the public spaces of this home had to be designed with this in mind, optimizing seating space and merging the living and dining room to create a large space for entertaining. The luxury element was easy to incorporate since the client had a considerable budget and approved our suggestions for finishes and fixtures even when the price tag was a bit steep.

The most difficult design decision became choosing the perfect wall finish for the core walls, which could be seen from almost every angle on the ground floor and continued up through the double height space in the living room. This finish had to be special and unique.

After considering many choices we decided on an illuminated alabaster stone. The effect produced by the light, given that the alabaster is translucent, is undeniably beautiful. The alabaster wall became the key feature in the apartment: a giant light fixture which obviously takes center stage in the double height space, but helps bring the rest of the elements in the living and dining room together since the coloring and texture of the stone works well with and highlights the other design elements.

Another important feature in the living room is the stairs. The first thing you see when you enter the apartment, it was redesigned from the original as an all glass and steel structure. Now a structure that appears light and transparent takes you to the bedrooms in the upper level.

Both the stair and the alabaster wall presented logistic challenges. The alabaster wall was fabricated near Barcelona, Spain, and the stairs in Bogota, Colombia. The process from initial design to finished installation on site was not easy, and sometimes had obstacles, which thankfully we overcame to deliver in both cases beautiful, and unique design elements.
All furniture pieces and light fixtures used on the project were chosen from prestigious design houses and manufacturers, many times these were icons of contemporary design, for example pieces from Patricia Urquiola and Philippe Starck.

This apartment is a great example of what we aim for in our residential design projects, spaces that are above all contemporary and functional, but always elegant, sophisticated and luxurious.