Project: Sliding Puzzle Apartment
Architecture: Bruno Kim Arquitetura
Location: Centro, São Paulo, Brazil
Area: 81 m2
Year: 2024
Photo Credits: Leila Viegas
The Sliding Puzzle Apartment by Bruno Kim Arquitetura reimagines a generic São Paulo development into a vibrant home with identity, openness, and playfulness. What was once a compartmentalized and dimly lit space has been transformed into an apartment that celebrates natural light, fluid circulation, and design elements infused with character and humor.
Rethinking the Generic Layout
Like many recently built developments in São Paulo, this apartment originally suffered from a standardized floor plan with narrow rooms, poor ventilation, and limited daylight. The couple who purchased it found the model unit uninspiring and disconnected from their vision of daily life. The challenge was to break free from the rigidity of the original layout and create a living space that reflected their rhythm and individuality.
Creating Flow and Openness
The design team proposed integrating the balcony, living room, and kitchen into one continuous space. This not only increased the usable social area but also encouraged interaction between the couple and their dogs while improving cross ventilation. To emphasize fluidity, a seamless monolithic floor was applied throughout the apartment, except in the bathrooms, reinforcing continuity and the perception of greater spaciousness.
Bold Use of Color and Material
Cabinetry was crafted to blend with the couple’s existing furniture, pairing exposed plywood textures with the smooth, uniform flooring. In the kitchen and laundry, the same monolithic material was applied in a bold yellow, covering both floors and walls. This decision defined the space in a striking yet cohesive manner, avoiding visual fragmentation while energizing the environment.
A Playful Graphic Puzzle
The highlight of the Sliding Puzzle Apartment is found in the kitchen cabinetry. Upper cabinets feature sliding yellow panels arranged in rectangles and semi-circles. As these panels shift, they create ever-changing compositions — a dynamic graphic puzzle that injects joy and flexibility into everyday life. This playful gesture turns a functional element into a defining feature, setting the apartment apart from its generic beginnings.
A Personalized Urban Home
Through spatial integration, inventive material choices, and a touch of humor, Bruno Kim Arquitetura has crafted a project that redefines urban living in São Paulo. The Sliding Puzzle Apartment demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform a standard development into a home full of light, identity, and character.
