From the moment a diner steps through the door, each detail shapes how a meal is experienced. Restaurant design has evolved, with architects and culinary professionals collaborating to create built spaces that are as intentional as the menu itself. The spatial atmosphere acts as an additional ingredient that can define the culinary experience. Taupe and […]
Nube Apartment: Creating a Warm and Flexible Family Home
Even in a city where a tendency of coldness from stone and steel buildings emanate, one can still create a residence of warm tones and feelings. Nube Apartment shows how you can do this on a small-scale environment.
Jardim Paulista in Brazil contains this naturalistic, wood-first apartment. Designed by Flipê Arquitetura and Nati Minas & Studio, Nube Apartment utilizes a fresh approach to create a refreshing environment that harkens back to nature while still being in the city.
The architects planning this project used the dynamic of the couple to live there as a way of pinpointing its direction. The rooms seem to flow into and separate from each other with fluidity and distinctness. No space is wasted, and nothing is left undone.
Natural Tones That Flow
Nube Apartment is roomy; two-storeys of space made to fit a whole family. With 420 square meters of space available, the architects built something cozy and different from a normal apartment, that often leads towards minimalism. The architects use wood for the ceilings and floors and much of the furniture.
“The repetition of the quadrant in carpentry permeates the edges and ceiling, creating a curiosity in the look towards the double height of the living room and dressing the environment,” the architects said.
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The other materials used on the project contribute to the apartment’s warm, cozy feeling. Giant potted plants litter the communal areas, and the architects used rustic granite for the staircase and kitchen island.
Personalized Living
The doors of various rooms easily slide open, attesting to the fluidity of the design: the living room flows into the kitchen, which then flows into the dining room, and so on. While they can still be easily closed off, there remains an ease of access that other homes don’t typically have.
As apartments tend to only have one or two sides that have a view of the outside, the windows to Nube Apartment take full advantage of its sprawl. Floor to ceiling windows encompasses an entire side, giving a panoramic view of the outside. More importantly, it also opens up to allow in more of the world outside.
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Beyond the warm tones, the most eye-popping feature of this apartment is the shelves of the couple’s CD collection in the hallway of the second floor, just above the living room. That personal touch contributes to the feeling of homeliness. It creates a lived-in vibe more befitting a cabin or a château than an apartment building.
Nube Apartment is a personal, livable space that evokes nature-related comfort even in the city. The combination of wood, plants, floor-to-ceiling windows, and personal touches like the CD collection combine to create something comfortable. This is a place to relax, where the troubles of the world need not disturb you.
Related reading: Calm, Creative, and Free: Architectural Portraiture by Auris Design
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With climate change and global warming, the Philippine climate is in constant evolution. Consequently, it is important for Filipinos to have living spaces that respond to the local environment. In this article, BluPrint lists down Filipino architects who are reimagining the tropical house, aligning the built and natural environment. BAAD Studio Principal architects Benjee Mendoza […]
Ventilation involves the introduction of outdoor air into a room, providing occupants with their needs. Proper ventilation allows for the moderation of internal temperatures, the creation of better airflow, the dilution of carbon dioxide to acceptable levels, and the removal of contaminants. This addresses health risks associated with indoor air pollution, such as respiratory problems […]
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WORLDBEX 2026, running from March 12 to 15, 2026, proves itself as the Philippines’ leading construction and design expo as it wrapped its 29th edition. It drew together 1,000 local and international exhibitors under one theme, “Building Opportunities: Sustaining Lives.” Organized by Worldbex Services International (WSI), in support of the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., the event […]
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Art in the Park returned this year to Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. This year’s edition featured a curated selection of works from 55 exhibitors representing galleries, art collectives, independent art spaces, and student groups. With all artworks capped at Php 70,000, the fair continued its mission […]
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