BUREAU reshapes 44 sqm lilac apartment in lisbon with color

Architectural studio BUREAU has completed the redesign of a 44-square-meter apartment in Lisbon, Portugal, known as Lilac. Designed alongside its sister project Blue, the apartment explores how compact floor areas can successfully accommodate everyday routines, objects, and diverse ways of living without placing heavy emphasis on strict privacy.

The architectural intervention turns traditional circulation into usable space. The former entrance hall now functions as a kitchen, while the interior bedroom at the heart of the home has been converted into wet areas. A continuous passageway wraps around this central core, linking the surrounding rooms together.

Four symmetrical openings reconnect routes and light paths that had previously been closed off by earlier alterations. While retaining the original structural compartmentalization, the new circulation path creates a much more fluid connection between the individual spaces inside the home.

"The apartment explores how a compact floor area can accommodate everyday routines, objects, and different ways of living."

BUREAU

At the center of the apartment, a single countertop serves both sides of the core, bringing the kitchen and bathroom into close physical proximity. The design incorporates translucent and mirrored materials within the new openings, injecting extra light, reflections, and visual depth into the compact interior.