This São Paulo apartment combines wood-clad interiors, biophilia and show-stopping city views

In the beating heart of São Paulo, a touch of Italian elegance: a brand new residential development designed by Pininfarina. Within this building resides a haven of Spanish flair in the form of the Heritage apartment, a residential project designed for a couple and their young children by Andre Luque.

The Heritage apartment is both homely and modern, boasting the addition of a show-stopping view of landmarks such as the São Paulo Jockey Club and Parque do Povo. These were two of the main components of the brief given to Luque: a focus on social areas, therein creating a space that feels profoundly welcoming, and to take advantage of that horizon.

The architect achieved the former by, in short, removing walls. The social area, entrance hall, living room, game area, home theatre, dining room and social kitchen are now one, with the furniture arranged such a way as to establish a layout, with the symmetrical arrangement in the living room directing toward the centre of the space.

Additionally, the floor was levelled, creating a continuous space with the skyline stretching before it. Here we come to the second order of the brief: the frames separating the living room from the balcony were removed, and the former balcony fitted with windows that span the entire facade, un-obstructing the view.

Although the apartment is characterised by its openness, residents can, if they would like, divide the space: the entry hall features a glass-panelled door which retracts into the wall. There is also a system of automated curtains which cuts through the apartment, with the sinuous rails set on tracks recessed into the ceiling. When opened, the curtains fold into the walls, and are nearly imperceptible.

On their first meeting with Luque, the clients expressed the need to conceal the technical kitchen; the couple love to cook and regularly host guests, and therefore have both a technical kitchen for daily use and a social one with a six-metre White Nuvolato marble island at its centre. A wooden table juts out, but this isn’t the only option for dining: residents can also sit at the Amorfa table by Arthur Casas in the main dining room, which accommodates up to 12 people.

The Heritage apartment’s interiors are fluid and organic, bringing in plenty of natural elements. Curvilinear forms abound; any rigidity is relaxed and softened. Materials range from stone flooring in the social area to a three-metre-high concrete slab and walls clad in American oak, which run seamlessly into the ceilings, cabinetry and doors, creating the feeling of a pergola, plants and all.

One of the most striking features of the apartment are the plants, which appear to grow out of its very foundations. The greenery snakes up a pair of floating pillars, an original concept imagined by landscape design studio Land N Citi and landscape architect Rulian Nociti. From a technical perspective, these pillars are a feat: they are fully irrigated, with the electrical and plumbing systems necessary for this hidden within the ceiling.

The apartment’s earthy palette is complemented by the furniture, which is a celebration of all things Brazilian: there’s the EOS sofa by Patricia Anastassiadis, the Sapão armchair and Kropf side table by Fernando Mendes, the Mole armchair by Sergio Rodrigues, the Roots coffee table by Jader Almeida, and the Cúrcuma side table and lamp by Cristiana Bertolucci. The Seixo table, surrounded by June armchairs by Jader Almeida, creates a space for board games, once again lending to the objective of bringing people together. Another showpiece is a sculpture by Japanese ceramist Kimi Nii, who is based in Brazil, which consists of 12 layered ceramic pieces which form a column.

This is an apartment full of surprises and quirks. It is, above all, however, a testament to modern, flexible design, folding and unfurling into many different forms and configurations.