Ap Alves is a renovation project carried out by RSRG Arquitetos. The home is located in São Paulo, Brazil and was completed in 2014. According to the architects: “Apartment Alves is a small residence with spacious balcony which can be defined as a typical modern apartment. The owner is a young and single sport addict that was looking for a vast ambient where he could comfortably host get-togethers and arrange his sport material at the same time. By taking out the old frames, the balcony gets incorporated to the inner ambient creating a dialogue with the open kitchen. Those spaces are united through a big wood board on top of a 90cm (2.95in) high furniture that can be used as dining table, bar and kitchen support. The wood in addition to the cement floor and the wall made of apparent brick tiles generates a curious texture composition.”
Out of all of the construction materials to build with, brick is one of the few that can be left untouched and still remain beautiful after generations of wear and tear. The natural appeal of brick is timeless, and most home buyers will pay more for a brick home, and see it as an investment. In order to improve functional use, the wall that used to separate private and social area was taken away, leaving its space to the primary element of the project, the striking vine-colored multifunctional furniture. This component is meaningful when it comes to design and function for it has purposes in both sides: support for bike, skate and surf board on the living room side, and closet for clothing shelves on the room side.
