A Beautiful Open-Space Apartment In A Brutalist Building

Situated in a rather unique building dating back to 1968, this apartment from Brazil recently went through a complete renovation courtesy of studio Hugo Oliveira Arquitetura. One of the goals throughout this project was to get the apartment to reflect the building’s brutalist architecture. In order to do that, the team stripped down the walls and exposed the beautiful concrete underneath. 

The living room uses one of the exposed concrete walls as a backdrop for its comfortable sitting area
The living room uses one of the exposed concrete walls as a backdrop for its comfortable sitting area
A row of vertical windows exposes the main floor plan to the beautiful views of the surrounding area
A row of vertical windows exposes the main floor plan to the beautiful views of the surrounding area
The bedroom has a similar style, featuring an exposed concrete wall and the same chevron floor pattern
The bedroom has a similar style, featuring an exposed concrete wall and the same chevron floor pattern

The exposed concrete on the walls gives the apartment this gorgeous rugged appearance which goes perfectly with the overall style of the building. Of course, raw concrete is not the most welcoming of materials so to balance it out the team also introduced this beautiful wooden floor. The floor features a chevron pattern which adds a classical and timeless feel to the space. 

The wooden floor unifies the entire floor plan and offers a sense of continuity and comfort
The wooden floor unifies the entire floor plan and offers a sense of continuity and comfort
The small office area was opened up and integrated into the rest of the open floor plan
The small office area was opened up and integrated into the rest of the open floor plan

The fact that the apartment had very few support beams and columns that could get in the way of creating an open floor plan was perfect for the plan that the designers had in mind. They connected the living room, kitchen, dining area, home office and laundry room in a single large space. This helps the apartment to look very airy and spacious and it also creates a perfect setup for entertaining guests. 

Even the bathroom has its own concrete wall which is beautifully highlighted by the window
Even the bathroom has its own concrete wall which is beautifully highlighted by the window
A big focus throughout the design process was on functionality, hence the simplicity of the decor
A big focus throughout the design process was on functionality, hence the simplicity of the decor
By opening up the floor plan spaces like the kitchen get to enjoy plenty of natural sunlight
By opening up the floor plan spaces like the kitchen get to enjoy plenty of natural sunlight

Photographs: Haruo Mikami