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Searching for a place where it can be experienced the idea of ​​elementary residence, Terra E Tuma Architects in Brazil designed this modern industrial house in Sao Paulo, a town whose contemporaneity is able to put in front of the most extraordinary urban contrasts, proving to be an encouraging condition to inhabit it. The presence of the Maracanã House in such a place was a totally new event, its discordant, opaque geometry compared to traditional homes in the neighborhood shows up amazing and caught the attention of curious people, who wondered about the emergence of this new building.

Occupying the entire property available, this residence raises as a unique place, where the interior and the exterior merge into a continuous and proper configuration, revealing new possibilities for the limitations imposed by the narrow lot. By using vertical and horizontal pathways,  Terra E Tuma Architects managed to create a new spatial experience which helps to understand better the peculiarities and the geography of the neighbourhood.

A seemingly grey structure that is all built of concrete blocks with large openings of dark metal glazing frames form a backdrop for a succession of spaces, sometimes large, sometimes narrow, sometimes bright, sometimes shaded, with an industrial chic look that still feels warm modern thanks to rich woods and pops of color that makes the atmosphere more cozy and inviting. Collections of grouped objects make it all feel like home, whilst creating natural edges with outdoor plants in the residence’s vast open spaces bring more vitality, but also a fresh and highly original décor. The Maracanã House features on its exterior also an Alexandre Mancini original ceramic artwork suspended from the upper level, just to preface the overall mood of the home once indoors.

Photos © Pedro Kok

Project details:

Architecture: Earth and Tuma Architects, Danilo Earth, Peter Tuma, Juliana Assali, Juliana Iha, Adriana Aoki
Structure: AVS, Carolina Ayres, Tomas Vieira
Electric | Hydraulic: Minuano Engineering, Jasel Neme, Cybele Neme Báez, Roberto Abou Assali
Construction: RKF, Rafael Alves
Landscaping: Gabriella Ornaghi Landscape Architecture, Gabriella Ornaghi, Rodrigo Bordigoni, Ricardo Tadashi
Panel: Alexandre Mancini
Woodwork: Alceu Earth
Locksmiths: Edison Shigueno

In winter, when it’s cold and wet outside and the grey clouds loom ominously overhead, we wouldn’t blame you if you rarely pulled back those curtains at all – the cosy enclave of your living room is probably infinitely more enjoyable than the weary winter outside. But now that spring is on its way – we promise it is – you should really start making the most of that morning sunshine once again.

In preparation for the brighter weather ahead, you should think about sprucing up that window just a little bit. You could just haul down those curtains for a wash and give the sills a wipe with some Mr Sheen, but why not go for a whole new look with some blinds? There are a range of different styles out there…

 Venetian blinds

Forget the dusty, crumpled metal blinds you may remember from office or classrooms; a good set of Venetian blinds doesn’t have to be cold and staid. You can get them in aluminium, wood or wood-effect, in a wide range of colours to suit your interior décor – not just gun-metal grey. The best feature of Venetian blinds is the fact that you can tilt them to allow sunlight in without having it shine in your face while you’re on the sofa, or reflecting off the TV so you can’t see what you’re watching – an option you don’t have with curtains.

 Roman blinds

These were developed in ancient Rome – as you might have guessed from the name – as a way of preventing the dust from work being done on the Coliseum from infiltrating the home, but it was soon discovered they were also pretty handy at keeping rooms cool by blocking out the midday sun. This is another advantage that blinds have over curtains, as with the attractive Venetian style you can cover the part of the window in direct sunlight, while still allowing natural light in underneath to illuminate the room.

 Roller blinds

An advance on the Venetian style, but with a simpler look. The advantage of using made-to-measure roller blinds like these is that you can use thicker material, including some more modern compositions which give you added bonuses. High-tech solar film can be laid over the material to help your home retain heat by absorbing sunlight and insulating your windows, while you could instead opt for blackout blinds that, when drawn down, completely block all sunlight and turn your living room into the perfect space for watching television and films without disruption.

It must be said that caring for and cleaning blinds is a little trickier than dealing with curtains, but it’s not that difficult, as helpful guides like this show.

The following project belongs to that category of small apartment designs with big impact. Like the one we show you yesterday, 60 Square Meters Apartment Concept by Vlad Mishin, this inspiring 450-square-feet studio in Manhattan found on Nytimes is also a great example of how to maximize space and efficiency within a tiny apartment to enjoy every inch of it. Such creative solutions, that can turn a small space into a versatile one to entertain and live in, are extremely appreciated nowadays since the growing lack of space in large urban areas, and we’re delighted to discover new space-efficient renovations.

Small and simple yet elegant and clever designed, the “Unfolding Apartment”, completed in 2007 by principal architects  Michael Chen and Kari Anderson from New York-based multidisciplinary architecture, design and creative agency Normal Architects, is both functional and aesthetically pleasant, proving that smaller isn’t always the worst.

If you’re living in a small 60 square meters apartment and you’re looking for ideas to design it, today we share with you some inspiring and cool ideas for small spaces, which can be a great way to live in, but they can be a real challenge when it comes to remodel them. The following small-sized apartment concept envisioned by Russian designer Vlad Mishin surprise us through careful organizing, smart and creative designing that transforms before your eyes.  In an attempt to create convertible space in a flat of small sizes, Vlad Mishin seems to have found the right balance between aesthetics and functionality, managing to create more privacy and comfort than such places usually have.

With a color palette composed of white, black, yellow and oak wood, and appealing industrial design elements, “Transformer apartment”, as it was entitled, exudes an elegant, yet intimate and welcoming atmosphere. The apartment reveals a good space distribution thanks to a unique design idea: a sculptural structure consisting in metal and plywood transforming blocks that devide the space into more functional areas.

By moving and placing these pieces, you can create space out of what was once an empty area to define functions and new rooms. The shape of sharp bends of the blocks are specifically chosen and create a beautiful whimsical surface that fits each space separately. Some of these rotating blocks are folding and serve as a bedroom door or hidden kitchen compartments, while one  of them houses a TV, making it visible from both living room and bedroom. The kitchen equipment can also be hidden, so when you have guests the structure looks like a wardrobe as if your kitchen hadn’t been there. The white wall is finished by the bathroom door. The result: a stylish, smart and awesome small apartment.

Photos © Vlad Mishin