Casa de Mellares
Location: Melres, Portugal
Date: 2015
Gross Area: 87 m2
Briefing: To remodel a 2-bedroom apartment for Airbnb short stay rental format, redefining the typology of the flat in order to maximize occupancy with the introduction of a small new room and the inversion of the existing spatial distribution while reusing all existing furniture.
Intervention: The guidelines for this project were very clear from the beginning and the intervention demanded a total reconfiguration of the compartments and thus of the electrical, water and sewerage systems.
Located next to the river Douro and with a large west-facing terrace it was imperative to "flip" the previous layout in order to connect the new common spaces of the flat with the views and the sunny exterior space while turning the bedrooms to the quiet street. An open space featuring the kitchen, the dining and the living rooms is set along the terrace and a large balcony window was opened on the façade to allow for sunlight and views of the river while a strategically placed yellow cupboard is used as a filtering element between these areas and the three new more compact bedrooms, forming a kind of an open corridor that connects all of these spaces to the bathroom without the need for more doors. A brighter atmosphere than the previous one was sought so lighter tones and materials were chosen for all the areas.
