- Interior
The light-filled Apartemento Leblon is a beautiful, minimalist realisation by Felipe Hess. The architect brought the tranquillity and cosiness of the coastal environment into an elegant and unique interior in this apartment in Rio de Janeiro.
The studio of Felipe Hess was founded in 2012 and is based in Sao Paulo. With his team, the architect realises beautiful projects in various disciplines such as residential and commercial buildings, interior and residential construction projects and furniture. Through their own design language, the involvement of the client and the continuous search for special elements, each project becomes unique. 
Felipe Hess brought the peace and serenity of the surroundings in Apartmento Leblon
Apartemento Leblon is located by the sea which served as a great inspiration for Hess. The architect was commissioned to bring in the calm, serene atmosphere of the coast. The beautiful view played a major role and can be fully admired through the large curved windows that embrace almost the entire living space. Along the circumference of the windows a wooden bench has been placed so that you can enjoy the view even more. The living space and kitchen merge and this creates a very open and social space, but these can also be closed off from each other by a large wooden sliding door which then immediately serves as a decorative element. 
Different textures and the warmth of wood give the minimalist spaces an elegant and cosy look
The interior is soberly decorated and there is a lot of natural light. This makes the importance of materiality stand out. A lot of wood was used. We find beautiful tinted oak in the floor, cabinets and panels in different rooms. The palette is beautifully complemented by different fabrics and light colours in the furniture, the carpet, the curtains and even the bookcase. These different textures and the warmth of the wood give the minimalist spaces an elegant and cosy look, but also the special furniture breaks through the simple palette. Hess used a beautiful mix of contemporary and vintage pieces. Bruno Mathsson's 'Pernilla' lounge chair and Jorge Zalszupin's two 'Ondine' chairs immediately stand out and Le Corbusier, Noguchi and Sérgio Rodrigues were also given a nice place here.
Apartemento Leblon became a home with a very own identity, luxurious elegant style and a cosy fresh atmosphere. 
Image Courtesy of Felipe Hess
Photographer: Fran Parente