A 376-Square-Foot Apartment in Brazil Goes From Too Tight to Just Right

Architect Leandro Garcia revamps a one-bedroom apartment to create a compact yet comfortable home for a mother and her 13-year-old son.

Nov 23, 2021 - 02:51

A 376-Square-Foot Apartment in Brazil Goes From Too Tight to Just Right

Architect Leandro Garcia revamps a one-bedroom apartment to create a compact yet comfortable home for a mother and her 13-year-old son.

Architect Leandro Garcia redesigned this 376-square-foot apartment in Curitiba, Brazil, for Eveline Favero and her 13-year-old son, Domingos.

In Curitiba, Brazil, architect Leandro Garcia transformed a 376-square-foot one-bedroom condo into a remarkably efficient two-bedroom home for Eveline Favero and her 13-year-old son, Domingos. "It seemed we’d asked for too many things, considering this is such a small place—but the remodel exceeded our expectations," Eveline says.

<span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;">The 376-square-foot apartment in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, that architect Leandro Garcia redesigned for Eveline Favero and her 13-year-old son Domingos showcases a living room sectioned by a wall of shelves that provides plenty of storage for books and beloved objects.</span> — In the living room, a wall of shelves provides plenty of storage for books and beloved objects.
Photo: Fran Parente

Located next to the Botanical Garden of Curitiba, the Trianon Apartment was once dark, cramped, and compartmentalized. "Originally, the apartment had a closed-off kitchen, a living room, only one bedroom, and one bathroom," Garcia says. "There was ceramic tile flooring, and all of the spaces were sectioned by angled walls that created very small rooms and made for awkward furniture arrangements."

Built-in furniture, including a sofa in the living room, helps to preserve floor space in the apartment, where wood floors and a bright white ceiling and walls create warmth and a feeling of spaciousness. — Built-in furnishings (including a sofa in the living room) help to preserve floor space in the apartment. The wood floors add warmth, and the bright-white ceiling and walls provide a feeling of spaciousness.
Photo: Fran Parente

When Eveline commissioned Garcia to reimagine the apartment, she requested two bedrooms (each with its own study area), a well-equipped kitchen, where she would be able to prepare meals from scratch, and plenty of bookshelves.

"I’d been decluttering and thinking about having only essential items, but books are part of my studies and work, so I needed space for book storage" says Eveline, who has a PhD in psychology, works as a professor at the School of Music and Fine Arts of the State of Paraná, and is also currently studying law. Domingos, who attends the nearby Swiss-Brazilian International School, studies the cello and German, French, and Spanish.