By Giovanna Maradei, Casa Vogue Brasil
Back in Brazil, diplomat Ivana Gurgel wanted to leave her new home with her face. After living in several functional apartments around the world, it was time to have such a home that she felt at home - even if she was only going to stay for a few years. To fulfill this mission, none better than a longtime friend, architect Samuel Lamas, who in 2 months of renovation brought not only light and breadth to the project, but also the delicate and sophisticated soul of the current resident.
In order to enjoy the sunlight streaming through the large windows of the 140 m² apartment, the architect removed any unnecessary partitions. Even markings, such as the one that defined the end of the living room and the beginning of the porch, were erased, bringing the social area together in one, wide and clear environment.
"The idea is that the space disappeared to highlight the objects and works of art that she has gathered throughout her life," explains Samuel, who in addition to removing the divisions, integrated the entire apartment through the white walls and cement floor. The simple feature repeats itself from the living room to the bathroom. "So even though some walls have remained, we always seem to be traveling the same space," the architect explains.
More than that, Samuel points out that not only does white matte help reflect light and increase the feeling of spaciousness, but also establishes a dialogue between the apartment and the surroundings, since color is one of the hallmarks of buildings in Brazil.
In addition to making reference to the surroundings in a macro way, talking to the city where the apartment is located, the home was also micro integrated, blending with the view directly ahead. The windows bring the surrounding trees inward and, more than that, the small garden with pots that occupy the corner of the room just in front of the window seems to break, at least symbolically, the division between the outside and the inside.
In the decoration, the rugs are used to heat and delimit the environments of different functions, as well as to embrace the furniture panned by the resident, who despite her chemical engineering background, always liked art and design.
Signed pieces, such as Sergio Rodrigues's bank, and others that only pleased Ivana's trained eye, such as the 50's armchairs that the diplomat inherited from her parents, are very harmoniously blended.
On the walls, paintings bring back the memory of the places where the diplomat passed. “There is a painting that I bought in Uruguay that whenever I look I feel as if I am there, driving by car and looking at the landscape through the window”, says the resident who still exhibits works from Italy and Argentina.
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