The apartment had an outdated look with dark wood and tiles in the kitchen and on the floors, and it lacked natural light. We knew we needed to brighten it up. We replaced the kitchen flooring with something lighter and brighter, updated the countertops with green tiles, and added a turquoise balcony.

The kitchen bar was also dark, so we aimed to give it a more modern and contemporary vibe. We installed wooden slats and painted them turquoise blue to maintain the color scheme in the kitchen.

In terms of color, the apartment needed a bit of a kick without being overwhelming. In the living room, we used a technique of painting half the wall one color and the other half another color, creating an accent wall. This makes the space cozy but not overpowering. We chose a pastel green color. To make it more interesting, we created wood paneling that forms delicate frames. We decorated the wall with swallows, a symbol in Portuguese culture representing luck. For lighting, we added more lamps and used mirrors to make the living room feel larger.

In the bedroom, we maintained the wood paneling frame inspiration and used pastel blue with two white stripes on the sides to make the wall more interesting, similar to the rest of the apartment. We changed the lighting, using minimalist wall lamps that bring an elegant touch to the bedroom. We kept the existing bed structure but replaced the headboard. We created a rail with hanging pillows, crafted by a local seamstress who finished them with vegan leather.

Besides the closet in the bedroom, the apartment had another closet in the hallway. We decided to turn this closet space into an office, transforming a dusty old door into a stunning desk, proving that creativity is key.

A notable aspect of this project was replacing almost all the furniture with more modern, functional, and comfortable pieces. The old furniture, still in good condition, was donated to charities to help those in need.

Curious to see the renovation process of this project? We invite you to check out the before and after photos below.