220-square-metre renovation combines polished concrete with aerial vegetation and iconic mid-century design

Florianópolis – A 220-square-metre flat in central Florianópolis has been given new life following a radical renovation that transformed the 1980s property into a contemporary architectural project. The intervention combined brutalist aesthetics with suspended vegetation and iconic Brazilian design furniture.

The project was designed by Von Frühauf Arquitetura e Interiores, led by architect Régis Von Frühauf. The owners, psychiatrists Vinícius Brun Prá and Philipe Stolti, sought a space that reflected their passions for modernist architecture, Brazilian design and plants.

Among the technical challenges, the execution of the polished concrete floor on the eighth floor stood out. The operation required special authorisation from the building management and clearance from the council to temporarily close a street. Over 20 uninterrupted hours, three lorries pumped concrete through a flat window.

One of the most striking aspects are the hanging gardens. Stainless steel wire troughs run across the ceiling of the social area, allowing plants to integrate freely into the environment. In the kitchen, the worktop houses a planter with a herb garden and a passion fruit vine that winds around the window. The landscaping was designed by Ana Trevisan.

The flat features iconic pieces of Brazilian design. Among them, MP-97 armchairs by Percival Lafer, a Molle armchair by Sérgio Rodrigues in ebonised wood and black leather, a Girafa chair by Lina Bo Bardi and lamps by Guilherme Ventz. The Sagaiá dining chairs, by designer Tiago Escher, were handcrafted in Florianópolis using reclaimed wood from an old mill.

The materiality privileges three elements: concrete, stainless steel and ironwood veneer joinery. Walls were clad with concrete battens by Castelatto. The kitchen island is a sculptural 2.7-metre piece in Golden Black exotic Brazilian quartzite.

The walls display works by local and national artists including Fabrícia Santos, Mousse, Nestor Júnior and Clara Pechansky. In one of the project’s surprises, large-scale Lego sets, such as the Titanic and the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, were given special display spaces.

The renovation preserved original details of the building, such as the rounded corners of wet areas in the bathrooms and the chequered entrance door, a signature of architect Odilon Monteiro. All external aluminium window frames were restored.

The project team included architects Giovana Klein Valcarenghi and Marina Berkenbrock, alongside Francine Cardoso on lighting design. Execution was handled by Andrei Guimarães, and photography was by Fábio Jr. Severo.