The apartment in question is located in Parque das Nações area in a contemporary building.
Although having relatively spacious compartments it really didn’t properly exist a sense of unity between the parts of the apartment. The social area was too partitioned and the existence of different materials in a relatively small space generated a space with lack of fluidity. The stone in the entrance hall and living-room as well as the tiles in the kitchen and in the bathroom created a too dated and cold atmosphere. The idea was to unify as much as possible the atmosphere of the apartment in order to dilute its limits. This concept gained shape with the implementation of a single pavement in cement that would link all the spaces.
The social area of the apartment was equally powered by eliminating the wall between the kitchen and the living-room and by designing an open kitchen with an island. The island, apart from being a functional part of the kitchen, not only does the separation between the kitchen and the living-room but also serves as a dinner table and bookcase on the side facing the living-room. On the kitchen side, touching the wall, the cabinets on the same plane were placed with a worktop area all coated in Estremoz white marble.
Next to the window, in an adjacent area to the kitchen, a laundry compartment was designed, separated from the rest of the space by a lath made of squared columns. This partition allows the light to go through, whilst hiding the laundry area. Still in the extension of this lath but already in the living area, a bookcase was designed having the advantage of hiding a column protruding from the façade to the inside of the apartment.
The homogenization of the finishing, namely the generalized use of cement, as well as placing a mirror in the circulation area, allowed the revitalization of the inner circulation corridor, transforming a tortuous corridor into an element of continuity.
The whole side wall of the kitchen is equally lined with white lacquered MDF in order to hide the pantry door, the corridor cabinet and to unify the transition between the private area and the living-room. The lighting also has an important role as an element of continuity. By placing lines of light or light boxes strategically located through the apartment, not only reference points were created but also the sense of space was extended.