Budget Breakdown: $24K and a Ton of Broken Tile Refresh a Flat in an Oscar Niemeyer Landmark
When Stefany Guimarães and Amanda Nori were looking for an apartment in São Paulo, Brazil, they jumped at the chance to live in an icon: the Copan Building, originally designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1966. Not only is it large—337 feet tall, with 32 floors, 5,000 residents, and its own zip code—its distinct, curvilinear concrete form ensures it stands out amongst the other downtown skyscrapers. "The Copan has always been a landmark of the city," Amanda says.
But the 1980s and 1990s were hard on the structure and occupancy waned in its 1160 units, which range in size from 1938 to 301 square feet. In 2014, it was covered in a transparent drape to protect pedestrians from loose exterior tiles. Still, in the last decade there’s been renewed interest in both the icon and its surrounding area, "which is becoming increasingly interesting and vibrant," says Amanda.
The Copan Building, designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1966, is a modernist icon in São Paulo, Brazil. The use of reinforced concrete made Niemeyer’s signature curved facade feasible. It’s so large, it has its own zip code, and there are more than 70 stores, restaurants, and commercial establishments on the lower level. "It’s great to be here, you can get everything done on the ground floor of the building," says Stefany.
After many years in São Paulo, Stefany and Amanda moved 90 minutes away to the country, but in 2024, they decided to purchase an apartment close to the flagship store for the brand of cat products they founded, called Cansei de ser Gato (CDSG). The name loosely translates to "I’m tired of being a cat," and it all started with a Facebook post of their cat, Chico, dressed as a lion.
Amanda Nori and Stefany Guimarães hang out at the built-in dining table in their São Paulo apartment.
The couple were drawn to this 452-square-foot apartment in the Copan for its far-reaching views and petite, yet flexible, size. "We wanted a higher floor to have a nice view of the city, and we wanted a small apartment that still allowed us to make good use of the space," says Stefany.
But first, they needed to reconfigure the layout. The closet separating the main rooms was so big that it made the home feel extra small, and a large bathroom further wasted space. They reached out to architects Larissa Ragaini and Chantal Ficarelli of the firm Arkitito Arquitetura for a remodel.
Before: Kitchen and Entry
Before: The small, boxed-in kitchen made the adjacent entry feel small.
After: Kitchen and Entry
Arkitito Arquitetura opened up the wall between the kitchen and the living room.
The design team began by "taking out everything not needed," says Ficarelli, starting with the too-large closet and a wall hemming in the kitchen. The demo removed the dropped ceiling to reveal the wooden substructure, which the team left exposed for texture, as well as a concrete column in the kitchen, which now pins the corner of a curving, kidney-shaped dining table.
| $5,300 Construction Labor | $1,200 Stone Countertops | $5,600 Flooring and Wall Coverings |
| $950 Water Heater | $2,800 Metalwork | $5,600 Cabinetry |
| $1,000 Shower Enclosure and Mirror | $1,000 Bathroom Fixtures and Fittings | $950 Paint |
| Grand Total: $24,400 | ||
"The entry is smaller than the area at the windows," says Ragaini. "We designed the rounded furniture in that organic way to open up the space."
Before: Kitchen
Before: The kitchen did not have enough storage, and despite a pass-through window, it felt disconnected from the rest of the apartment.
After: Kitchen
MadeMarchi created abundant cabinetry out of marine plywood with a clear finish to surround a new, full-size refrigerator. White quartz counters and green tiles from Strufaldi complete the palette.
A rounded cabinet in the main room corresponds to the table’s curves, and conceals the laundry machine without occupying too much floor space. "We wanted to have a feeling of home, warmth, and practicality," says Amanda. "It couldn’t be pretty and not very functional, you know? It had to be both."
Before: Living Room
Before: "It seemed abandoned," says architect Chantal Ficarelli of the existing apartment.
After: Living Room
A corner of the curving table connects the dining area to the living room. "The curve helps with circulation in the kitchen and living room," says Stefany. The couch is the clients’ own, and the couple saved on lighting costs because so much natural light comes in from the windows.
Working within a strict budget, the architects prioritized the new flooring, which the homeowners wanted to resemble traditional caquinho tiles. "They wanted to put in this flooring because of the memory attached to it," Ficarelli says. Caquinho floors were popular in the 1940s and subsequent decades, when factories that were producing 20-by-20-centimeter ceramic floor tiles would give the broken pieces to workers at no cost to cover their home floors in mosaics.
Since production practices have since changed and become more efficient, there are not as many broken tiles to create the mosaics, says Ficarelli—so the floors became a big part of the budget. "We had to invest in this flooring that was quite expensive, because it’s new tiles that have been broken up," she explains.
Before: The Studio
Before: A large closet divided the apartment’s two rooms, Arkitito removed it to create a single, unified space.
After: The Studio
"We can’t get enough of the ceramic tile flooring—it’s so Brazilian, and it looks surprisingly good in the interior of an apartment," says Amanda.
The custom partition with cane panels was fabricated by MadeMarchi. It moves on tracks to section off the bedroom as needed.
The team reduced the size of the bathroom, slotted in a walk-in closet beside it for storage, and added glass-panel doors so as to bring light into both interior spaces. Sliding cane panels, a nod to 1960s Brazilian furniture design, separate the bedroom from the main room while still allowing for light and ventilation.
The red Formica finish on the cabinetry and the green metal trim for the custom doors create a vibrant color palette that reminds Amanda and Stefany of their country digs. "All of the elements talk to each other," says Ragaini.
Before: Bedroom and Bathroom
Before: The firm reduced the size of the bathroom to add a walk-in closet beside it.
After: Bedroom and Bathroom
Custom, green-painted metal doors with sidelites and transom windows, all made by VanMar Serralheria, were a budget splurge for the project. "Our ‘luxury’ was the metal doors in the bathroom and closet, with hand-picked glass that gives the apartment its charm," says Amanda.
The Olaria Collection wall tiles by Lepri are paired with floor tiles in Dansk Cement by Portobello. The designers kept fixtures in place to save on cost.
The brise soleil that wraps the Copan Building is an important feature for blocking direct sun exposure and funneling air into the apartments.
The remodel wrapped up in May 2025, and the dining table has proven to be a favorite spot for work sessions, or hosting a group of friends for dinner. "You can seat as many people as you want because you don’t have edges," says Ficarelli. "It’s easy to grab a chair and seat one more person."
The red Formica tabletop is combined with a green powder-coated metal leg, which references the closet and bathroom doors. The pendant light and dining chairs are antiques, with the latter "matching the palette perfectly," says Stefany.
Stefany Guimarães and Amanda Nori enjoying their remodeled apartment in the Copan Building.
Floor plan of Copan Apartment by Arkitito
More from Arkitito:
In São Paulo, an Architect’s Geometric Family Home Fits Together Like a Puzzle
A São Paulo Home Welcomes Guests With an Invitingly Breezy Brutalism
They Call It the Joy House—and It Lives Up to Its Name
Project Credits:
Architect: Arkitito Arquitetura / @arkitito
Builder: João Carlos Pereira
Lighting and Interior Design: Arkitito
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