Garú Apartment – From Compartmentalized To Open Plan with Estúdio BRA

Brazilian architecture firm, Estúdio BRA, have completed a number of a apartment projects in the last year. This one, dubbed Garú Apartment, is among their most recent.

Garú Apartment can be found in Guarujá, Brazil. They were enlisted by a retired couple who wanted to de-compartmentalize the property and make it more fitting for their lifestyle.

The apartment is on the larger side, with a footprint of 1,033.33-square-feet (96-square-meters). The intervention by Estúdio BRA largely involved removing small individual rooms and replacing them with a more open and flowing layout. However, they’ve still retained several private spaces (bedrooms and bathrooms).

Previously, the kitchen, dining area, living room and balcony were all self-contained. Now, they’re connected through a single open space that touches on the north, east, and south of the home. The remaining private spaces are located centrally and extend out to the western wing.

From the architects: “After renovation, kitchen, dining room, living room and balcony have become a single space, allowing different possibilities of use in day to day. The subtraction of part of the walls provided, besides the visual permeability, the best air circulation throughout the social area.”

The interior decor is made up of four colors/textures: wood and concrete, white and blue. The colors dictate different uses. For example wood, which is used predominantly for the multi-functional furniture pieces, marks the living and dining room. A blue finish is used in the kitchen and dining area, while white is used for the guest room.

For more apartments check out this other renovation from Sao Paulo by Estudio BRA. Or, this small Madrid apartment that makes used of concealed storage to capitalize on its floor plan. See all apartments.

Photos © Maíra Acayaba