Apartment Refurbishment in Laranjeiro, Almada, Portugal . 2023

 Personal Project - Ongoing

Disproportions & Rebalances

CONCEPT . The concept behind this “Low Cost” apartment refurbishment, located across the river in the south suburbs of Lisbon, was basically to demolished all the partition walls located between the existing entrance hall, kitchen and living room, I’m order to create an open space subdivided in 4 clear defined spaces: an open kitchen, a low ceiling dining area, a low ceiling breakfast area and a higher ceiling living room area,as well as to reconfigure / rebalance the disproportion between the existing spaces.

In order to reduce substantially the area of the existing entrance hall, way too big, a new recessed translucent “cobogó” wall (open brick wall) was placed in the middle of it, allowing roughly 50% of its original area to be reduced / given to the living / dining area and natural light to flood in. In the opposite side of the apartment 2 other major changes were introduced: the transformation of a small shared toilet into an en-suite bathroom and the virtual “displacement” of an existing partition wall located between 2 of the bedrooms, one too narrow and the other one generously wide, in order to, once again, rebalance the disproportion between existing spaces. 

MATERIALITY . The color and material pallet followed a minimalistic approach. Basically, the majority of all the surfaces are white with different textures (plaster on walls and ceilings, white painted “cóbogo” wall, handmade kitchen backsplash tiles and powdercoated lower kitchen cabinets) in contrast with a more warm light oak wooden floor and the living room inbuilt furniture and upper kitchen cabinets made of birch plywood panels. The result: an unpretentious, warm, simple and elegant apartment. 

BEFORE & AFTER

Existing Kitchen

Existing Floorplan

Proposal Floorplan

360º View

(click for 360º view of Living Room vs Kitchen)