在歲月中步移換景：越南建築事務所 KOOPERCHITECT 以秩序重構的里斯本微光
© KOOPERCHITECT
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When confronted with century-old European residences, integrating modern functionality into limited spatial depths while preserving local history has always been a formidable challenge in interior design. Deep, elongated, and bearing the imprint of time, the architectural skeleton inherently possesses a strict structural order. The architecture firm KOOPERCHITECT took this existing framework as their starting point.
Setting aside heavy demolition tools, they instead adopted "order, light, and transition" as the core guiding principles for the space. In this apartment, there are no rigid layouts carved out in a blind pursuit of modernity. On the contrary, the design team masterfully weaves light and shadow within the elongated depth, inviting a graceful dialogue between history and the contemporary as one wanders through the home. The essence of this design lies not in relentless expansion, but in clarifying the relationships between transitional spaces.
© KOOPERCHITECT
© KOOPERCHITECT
© KOOPERCHITECT
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Gazing Through the Pores of Tradition: Teaching the Lisbon Sun to Wander
Sunlight is Lisbon’s most generous gift, yet it is also the natural element that most tests a design team's approach during a historic renovation. Choosing to pay homage to the vernacular of traditional Portuguese architecture, the team delicately adjusted the widths of the window mullions. This acts as an invisible filter for the space, buffering the fierce, direct sunlight and diffusing it into a gentle, airy glow indoors.
The kitchen corner serves as the most captivating stage for this interplay of light and shadow. Above the deep wooden cabinetry, a horizontal ribbon window pushes slightly outward, cropping the sun-dappled greenery of the courtyard into a seasonal painting exclusively curated for the kitchen. The backsplash frames classic Portuguese blue-and-white geometric tiles within dark wood—like an elegant whisper left behind by history. Enveloped by composed marble-veined finishes and restrained sage green walls, it quietly becomes a refined focal point that commands attention.
© KOOPERCHITECT
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Crafting Rhythmic Circulation Through Materiality: Sculpting Life's Transitions
The overarching color palette is woven from elegant sage green and deep wood tones, resembling a classical oil painting rich in depth. There are no harsh, solid partition walls here, yet every living function possesses an incredibly clear boundary. The design team utilizes wood paneling with warm textures and grounded tones to construct substantial visual volumes and buffer zones throughout the space. As one steps out of the transitional area paved with handmade starburst terracotta bricks, the material underfoot subtly shifts to herringbone wood flooring, seamlessly establishing a rhythmic circulation for daily life.
© KOOPERCHITECT
© KOOPERCHITECT
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In the dim light, a black iron crane chandelier suspended from the ceiling of the transition zone spreads its wings in the shadows like a lifelike bird in flight. Holding a subtle conical shade in its beak, it splashes warm yellow light onto the finely textured walls. This stroke, infused with a strong Art Deco spirit, injects a mythical, theatrical tension into an otherwise rational space.
Glancing through the framed views intentionally carved out by the wooden volumes, the caramel sofa in the living room elegantly overlaps with the distant dining area. On the wall, a surrealist painting creates a wonderfully humorous contrast with the precise geometry of the surrounding space; on the opposite side, a monkey motif exuding a raw tropical flair is eclectically juxtaposed with a streamlined solid wood coffee table, a classical stone side table, and contemporary audio equipment. Here, the rhythm of daily life flows naturally along the logic laid out by the design team. The spatial order guides and regulates movement, revealing a clear functional logic amidst the ever-shifting scenery.
© KOOPERCHITECT
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Gazing at the Rings of Time: Sinking into a Purifying Ritual
Following the guidance of the wood paneling into the private quarters, the design team preserved the existing structure to allow the intricate, hand-painted floral motifs on the ceiling to be fully showcased. Mottled flowers and vines sprawl overhead, softly whispering the past of this old building. To balance the rich visual details above, the floors and walls recede into a low-profile background. Large-scale wooden wardrobes extend to the ceiling, seamlessly connecting with the rhythmic lines of the headboard.
Stepping into the bathroom, a pristine, streamlined freestanding bathtub is elegantly placed before a large grid window overlooking the rolling greenery of the Lisbon hills. Bathing here feels like a private ritual accompanied by sunlight and swaying plants. The adjacent vanity features a wall with tropical forest imagery paired with a classical arch, complementing a mahogany-framed mirror. History and vernacular elements meld once again, creating a stunning artistic vignette within the pure white bathing space.
© KOOPERCHITECT
© KOOPERCHITECT
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Moving into the study nestled beneath the pitched roof, a rich peacock-blue rug visually echoes the caramel sofa in the living room. Under the slanted ceiling lines and two symmetrical small windows, the team designed flush bookcases along the low wall boundaries, carving out an independent sanctuary to get lost in vinyl records and reading.
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Ultimately, the design team chose to return to the original spatial essence of this old house—using order to clarify chaos and light to breathe life. In every detail of these unfolding vistas, we witness the most elegant coexistence of contemporary living and historical vernacular.
© KOOPERCHITECT
