Text description provided by the architects. From the very first conversation with the future residents of Casa Pinheiros, it was clear that the project’s intention was to preserve the original elements of the house while harmonizing them with contemporary interventions to create a dialogue between different eras. This goal is reflected in various choices, particularly the yellow hydraulic tile flooring, framed by a strip of the same material that runs along almost the entire perimeter of the ground floor.
The yellow floor visually connects with the street-level facade and softly reflects on the interior walls, thanks to the generous natural light provided by the recesses at the house’s extremities, which flow seamlessly through the open-plan layout, integrating the entire social area. The project’s permeability is also evident in features such as glass windows and doors, and the perforated metal gate, which offer a limited view from the sidewalk into the garden. The garden itself is protected by a metal roof that gently touches the side walls, occasionally covered in glass to indicate the path to the house’s entrance or prepared for landscaping that will advance over the steel cables with its newly planted vegetation.
To establish a coherent timeline, some previous interventions, considered as “detractors,” were removed. Among these were the brick-textured facade cladding and a trapezoidal bay window that occupied garden space without adding functionality. By aligning the house’s geometry and expanding this opening, we achieved better integration between the living room and backyard, where we designed a concrete bench that mediates the dialogue between the interior and exterior of the house by opening on both sides.
Structural reinforcements were necessary when the existing masonry, including a central pillar, was removed, expanding the internal spaces and bringing to the forefront elements like the wooden tread staircase, which was previously obscured by cabinetry dividing the social area from the kitchen. A Paraná marble island is situated in the center of the kitchen area and, also considered a social space, connects to the dining area through a custom-made table. Between Cumaru wood panels and white surfaces, the staircase is embraced by a cabinet that transcends the sensory boundaries of the spaces, reinforcing the idea of floor integration.
Another original aspect of the residence is the curve traced by the rear facade, subtly replicated on the kitchen wall, pointing towards the circulation between this space and the rear garden. Curves also appear in the internal walls of the powder room, clad with tiles that provide a soft contrast with the incoming light, highlighting the sculpted pink quartz countertop and polyurethane flooring that follow the same palette and “release” the walls through an inverted baseboard.
For the upper floor, the layout was preserved, and the wooden flooring in the bedrooms and hydraulic tile in the corridors were maintained, as well as the wooden windows with shutters, which were restored. The most significant intervention occurs in the bathroom, with new tiles in blue for the floor and a double sink marble countertop from Pigues.
The renovation of Casa Pinheiros was delicately designed to be an intervention that respects the village-like character of the small street it is situated on, which is entirely residential and composed of terraced houses, while simultaneously providing a contemporary update that aligns with the current lifestyle of the new owners.
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Cite: “Pinheiros House / Balaio Arquitetura” [Casa Pinheiros / Balaio Arquitetura] 22 Jul 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed .
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