In the Ipanema neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, this 1,722-square-foot apartment overlooking the water was remodeled with maximum vacation vibes for a European fashion designer. The process started when the designer brought inspiration sketches to Hugo Schwartz and Alexandre Gedeon, owners of local firm InTown Arquitetura. "He had an initial sketch showing his ideas," says the firm. "What we did was to help him to adapt all the measurements and choose the finishes."
The designer wanted the apartment to easily accommodate social gatherings and solo relaxation. To that end, the materials, such as tile and epoxy, were picked with an eye towards easy maintenance and clean-up. "All of the materials were chosen for easy cleaning and ease of finding on the local market if it needed to be replaced," says the firm.
The firm suggested wood to cover most of the walls, integrated storage elements, and support pillars in order to warm up the shiny epoxy floors, which are painted with contrasting "rugs." To encourage serious relaxing, InTown designed an expansive custom sofa for the living room, composed of masonry and poured-in-place concrete.
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.