Penthouse with 360° Ocean Views: Light-Filled Brazilian Retreat
Penthouse with 360° Ocean Views crowns a residential tower in Brazil, where architect Simara Melo shapes an expansive vacation apartment for a young entrepreneurial family. Panoramic Atlantic and city views wrap the single-level layout, which separates social and private zones while holding a pool, gourmet area, and covered terrace. Neutral materials, custom furnishings, and integrated technology keep the rooms bright, practical, and calm for holidays that easily slide into everyday living with three children.
Sun pours through full-height glazing as the Atlantic horizon traces a continuous line around the penthouse. City towers stand beyond, framing a vivid coastal panorama.
Inside, pale surfaces catch this daylight and send it across stone, glass, and soft textiles, so the rooms feel open even when the terrace roof closes against weather.
This apartment crowns one of South America’s tallest residential buildings in Balneário Camboriú, set up as a vacation home that easily supports daily family routines. Brazilian architect Simara Melo reorganizes the original multi-level plan into a single, flowing floor, where social life orbits the pool, gourmet kitchen, and covered terrace, while private suites anchor the quieter wing. Her focus stays steady on how materials, color, and furniture shape mood from arrival to the most tucked-away corners.
The southern side gathers bedrooms and a generous walk-in closet, divided so each spouse has a defined zone. To the north, living, dining, and an integrated home office stretch toward the ocean, tying indoor rooms to an outdoor terrace with a retractable roof and pool. Every move in layout and furnishing aims to keep daily life efficient yet relaxed, from generous storage in the kitchen to a carefully darkened wine cellar on an internal corridor.
Living Above The Coast
The apartment reads as an observatory ringed by glass, so the furniture palette stays deliberately light on visual weight. Low-profile seating and slender tables keep sightlines clear, letting the coastline hold attention from almost any seat. A mix of custom pieces and works by Brazilian designers balances comfort with crisp silhouettes, avoiding clutter against the expansive horizon.
This restraint means details matter: edge profiles, leg proportions, and upholstery textures do the work of ornament without crowding the rooms. The result feels composed but easygoing, suited to children drifting between sofa, pool, and terrace throughout the day.
Neutral Tones And Texture
A soft, neutral palette dominated by shades of white runs through every room, from walls to major furnishings. Light-toned stone, subtle wall finishes, and pale joinery amplify natural light, reinforcing the airy character even when skies turn overcast. Fabrics in linen-like weaves, natural fiber rugs, and gently textured surfaces bring depth so the interior never reads flat or cold.
Small shifts in tone distinguish zones while keeping continuity. Slightly warmer hues sit in the living and dining areas, while cooler whites and smoother finishes define the kitchen, barbecue counter, and wet zones. The continuity allows artwork, objects, and the moving ocean outside to provide most of the color.
Rooms For Family Life
Everyday practicality drives many of the material decisions, especially in the kitchen and barbecue area where the family cooks and gathers. Generous cabinetry absorbs clutter, leaving counters clean and surfaces calm during large meals with friends. Durable stones and easy-clean finishes hold up to frequent use without interrupting the refined atmosphere.
The home office sits within the social zone yet maintains a sense of focus, helped by controlled lighting and ordered storage rather than heavy partitions. In the private wing, the large walk-in closet uses its own palette of neutrals and tailored millwork, giving each spouse clearly defined storage while retaining the project’s consistent visual rhythm.
Light, Technology, Comfort
Abundant daylight forms the backbone of the interior mood, supported by an indirect LED scheme that washes ceilings and walls instead of relying on harsh downlights. Wall sconces and targeted accent spots draw attention to art, textured finishes, and key furniture pieces without overpowering the rooms. Automated blinds tune brightness and glare, improving thermal comfort as much as visual ease.
Home automation extends to air conditioning and sound, allowing the family to shift from quiet mornings to evening gatherings with minimal effort (and without visual clutter from controls). In contrast to the luminous main rooms, the wine cellar sits in a protected internal zone, carefully insulated from heat and light. Frosted white glass panels line the elevator hall, where a floating console and backlit panel set a composed tone from the first step into the apartment.
From arrival at the glass-clad hall to the pool’s edge at the terrace, the penthouse carries a consistent language of light, pale materials, and precise furnishings. Ocean and city form a constant backdrop, yet the calm interior palette keeps daily routines grounded. It feels ready for long summer breaks and ordinary school days under the same wide Atlantic sky.
Photography by Fabio Jr Severo
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