DATE: JANUARY 2024
PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION: MARIANA KINKER AND RAFAEL CHVAICER
SPECIAL PARTICIPATION BUILDERS: DANIEL JABRA, BRUNO BRIZZI, SÉRGIO CHVAICER
BUDGET: R$ 4.000 (APROX. U$800)
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 WEEKS
ADDRESS: RUA MARIA PAULA, 279, APTO.1209, BELA VISTA, SÃO PAULO-SP, BRASIL
FOTOS: SÉRGIO CHVAICER & RAFAEL CHVAICER
The idea for the mezzanine arose after a lot of speculation around what would be the most exciting way to live in this apartment. We also felt some kind of spatial division was needed, for a couple living in a house with no walls. Another issue was storage space.
The strategy is: why don't we take everything we have lying around the house: this bed, this wardrobe, all this other stuff, compress it into a cube, and free the space on the other side of the house? Alongside the Veranda? We positioned it in a way that 2 residual spaces were born: On one side it created an entrance space, painted in red to enhance the sensation of being in a different place than the living room. On the other side, a transitional space was configured between the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom.
Drawers and storage spaces face the outsides of the mezzanine base on all sides. On the front side, a sliding door gives access to the closet with a space for hanging clothes. Behind the clothing, some space for stuff like chairs (we have a serious chair buying compulsion problem) bags, climbing equipment and what not.
On the upper floor is the bedroom. It has a warm natural wood finish on the walls and slanted backrests alongside. The bedside table is equipped with power outlets and storage space for our books and other bedroom essentials. The sensation of looking out the windows from a little higher perspective is super nice.
We didn't have all these steel cabinets at first, but after drawing the basic project, envisioned using parts of existing furniture for the construction. After some thrift shop hunting, we found these great steel cabinets that used to belong to a bank, so we reconfigured the drawings to use them. The structure is made from affordable woodcuts and plywood. All is designed in a way it could be constructed with simple tools, buy 2 people in 14 days over the holidays.