Renovation of a 165 sqm apartment in São Paulo blends memory and integration traduzido por: OPENROUTER

When a newlywed couple decided to buy a 165 m² apartment in Vila Nova Conceição, São Paulo, the relationship with the property already existed long before the contract was signed. For years, they frequented that house, which belonged to very close friends. They knew the natural light that crossed the living room in the late afternoon, the fluid paths between the projects, and the atmosphere of the gatherings that took place there. This affective context gave rise to the main challenge of the project: transforming a deeply familiar space into a home capable of translating the couple's history and new stage of life.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

The proposal developed by Marcela Penteado — architect from the CASACOR São Paulo cast — starts precisely from the idea that a renovation does not need to erase the past to build a new identity. Instead of promoting a radical or demolishing transformation, the project adopted a conscious posture, preserving what was already well resolved. The structure of the kitchen, the service area, the closet, and the bathrooms were entirely maintained, while surgical and specific interventions reorganized the spatial perception and daily dynamics.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

The residents' singular profile guided each architectural choice. She, from Pernambuco, maintains a strong emotional bond with Recife, where part of her professional and personal routine continues to take place. He, from São Paulo, intensely experiences the pace of the capital. The apartment thus became the couple's main base in São Paulo — a space designed to welcome frequent receptions and reflect a contemporary way of living.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

In the social area, the kitchen was opened to the dining room, gaining a sliding joinery door that allows integrating or isolating the project depending on the occasion. The living room came to be structured by a sophisticated double-sided modular sofa: on one side, it faces the urban landscape and the gourmet space, favoring moments of celebration; on the other, it connects to the home theater, meeting the everyday rest. The strategic arrangement of the furniture allows different uses to happen simultaneously, without breaking the visual continuity of the space.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

The sense of spaciousness was maximized through custom joinery solutions. The old shelving and the green wall, previously visually divided by a structural beam, gave way to a single continuous piece of furniture that runs the entire length of the living room. This intervention reinforced horizontality and brought sophistication to the project. Accommodated alongside, a new bar was incorporated into the layout, consolidating the home's vocation for hosting and transforming the social area into the main meeting point of the residence.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

In the private area, the original cumaru wood floor was fully preserved, receiving only a restoration treatment and new tonalization. In the main suite, part of the existing cabinets was reused and painted in the same palette as the walls, providing lightness. A new large upholstered headboard, combined with side lamps and sconces, updated the bedroom's atmosphere with coziness and elegance.

Projeto de Marcela Penteado. (Marco Antonio/CASACOR)

On the balcony, the former playroom gave way to a functional home office, following the couple's current stage of life without altering the essence of the floor plan.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER