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Architects: Fernanda Marques Arquitetos Associados
- Area: 477 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Fillippo Bamberghi
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Artigiano, Galeria della Pietra, Grau, ICC Escadas, T2G
Text description provided by the architects. The project arose from the owner’s aspiration to have a swimming pool in his apartment. A wish that was welcomed and taken on board by Brazilian architect Fernanda Marques, who decided to place it right in the living room, no less, so that in addition to enjoying it for leisure, it would create an element of tension, particularly strong and present.
“I designed the apartment for a couple with no children. The owner works in the financial market and is a keen art collector. He owns works by artists I greatly admire, such as Ernesto Neto, Edgard de Souza, Manoel Rio Branco, Zerbini, Tunga. The works speak directly to the issue of space – hence the importance of their placement in the project”, explains Fernanda.
With an area of 477 m², the apartment is split over two floors. On the lower level are the living-room, dining-room, and the kitchen. Upstairs are the master and guest bedrooms, a fitness room, an office and access to the swimming pool. A mezzanine links the floors between the master bedroom and the living room, as well as by the glass swimming-pool.
Given the main goal was to house all the client’s works of art harmoniously and with fluidity, and with a view to the collection’s future growth, minimalism – the style used by Fernanda Marques in most of her work, was an immediate choice. "I didn’t want the furniture to overwhelm the works of art, but rather to serve as support and counterpoint to them. This is the reason behind the preponderance of Brazilian designers and light colors”, she explains.
The lighting was also carefully designed to enhance the collection. On the lower floor, a gallery was created, where a single track-lighting rail houses several spots, with room for more as the collection evolves. At the far end the water from the pool, as though crystallized, reigns absolute.
"Building the pool structure was the most challenging aspect in the project. To achieve the result very thick, imported glass was used and specialized labor required to install it. Looking back, I think it was well worth it. Neither the owners nor I can imagine the apartment without it. To a certain extent, I think I ended up providing the home with another work of art”, she sums up.
