AD ARCHITECTURE were in charge of the interior design of these two apartments in Shantou, Guangdong, China. By designing the two interiors, the architects wanted to re-examine the interpretation of the living environment, express a different design language, and focus on the emotional and spiritual connections between the space and the people living in it. Take a look at the complete story after the jump.
From the architects:
“A house is a machine for living in” — Le Corbusier
We now live in a different era, but modern cities are still filled with “living machines”. With the change of the times and living demands, our requirements for home and living environment have also undergone drastic transformation. This time, through approaching the interior design of two apartments, we want to re-examine the interpretation of living environment, express a different voice on design, and focus more on the emotional and spiritual connections between people and space.
Architectural space is not just an object. it exists in the inter-relationship between people. The spirit of humans and architectures are interdependent and influential, therefore, the more one pay attention to his/her personal value, the more they pursue the uniqueness and diversity of the dwelling spaces.
Apartment C1: Nifty Art
We define apartment C1 as a playful and nifty artist.
We attempted to construct a diverse and composite experiential living space and give it a flamboyant character. Through utilizing and integrating structural shapes, colors, textures and decorations, a characteristic and artistic residence was created.
Occupying an area of 160 m2, the apartment has a big drawback: small kitchen and dining room. However, it has two large semi-outdoor balconies. We made a bold assumption, and imagined that it would serve for a three-generation family which always hold family gatherings. The core concept of the design is to inherit the Chinese tradition and spirit of family togetherness. At the same time, we also intended to explore potential ways to improve the apartment’s commercial value.
The space is dotted with striking golden color, which well matches and contrasts with the white latex paint on the wall and the gray terrazzo floor, thereby emphasizing the flamboyant tonality.
For the layout, a circle was embedded in the regular square space to define spatial boundaries. This circle also naturally solved the shortcoming of the dining room being too narrow. The balcony garden at the entrance area was used as a kitchen, hence transforming the originally least used space into the most frequently used, and obtaining a comfortable cooking space at the same time.
Finished with white paint, the walls and ceiling of the living room feature curves, which echo the circle in the dining room, highlight the relationship between lines and surfaces, and reshape the composition aesthetics of space. Besides, dark grey terrazzo was used as floorings, making the home more unique. In the dining room, the flat ceiling complements the circular lines on it, which injects a sense of loftiness to the space. The dining room and living room integrate into a whole, forming an area for the family to gather and spend a happy time together. Furnishings such as QEEBOO’s black skull side table and the colorful Turkish carpet all add playfulness and spirituality to the space.
For the design of the bedrooms, we focused on creating a comfortable environment for sleeping. The circular table lamps and curved glass echo the arcs in the living room. Besides, the golden backdrop is matched with the overall concept of space to underline the integrity of the design.
The bathroom is mainly covered with grey terrazzo, embellished by golden stainless steel and equipped with bespoke handmade stainless-steel basin, all of which demonstrate the meticulous pursuit of tiny details.
Apartment C2: Cool Gentleman
Apartment C2 is defined as a cool gentleman, a rational and logical living environment. The space seems to be dynamic, an existence to stabilize the changing physical world. It is a kind of logic outside of geometry, a form in motion.
With a character that combines calmness and elegance, it is like a fashion darling dressed in a black tuxedo. The color palette of black and white, and the simple yet exquisite furnishings, showcase our new explorations into the decoration of human living environments, and pursuit of a minimalist lifestyle.
Going after large spatial scale, futuristic surfaces and smart home system, this is our understanding and impression of modern luxury homes. Functionality is only to meet the basic demands of modern life, while experience and sense of rituality are pursuits at a higher level, which are becoming increasingly important. What we are exploring is using space to express one’s temperament and personality.
The balcony garden at the entrance area links up with the living room and dining room, and the open kitchen enriches the layering and rhythm of the space. There is no boundary set by traditional means such as a foyer or backdrop, only the flexible rhythm and fluidity of movement, making life here unconstrained. We hoped to regularize the disorganized objects, and establish an order. By repeating an abstract element in the space, we aimed to inject harmony and spirituality into the space.
The bedroom is dominated by a white tone, with the curved lines corresponding with the elements of the living room, harmonious and unified. The white ceiling, walls and beddings go well with the black wooden floor, combined with lighting design, creating a spatial environment which intermingles the dynamic and static.
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The interiors show meticulous details and exquisite craftsmanship. The curved shapes of the ceiling, the combination of stone floorings and imported handmade wooden floor boards, and the hollowed-out luminous wall, all posed a challenge to craftsmen during the production and construction process.
As for the living environment of modern cities, we wish to break the routine, find the soul of the space and carry out exploratory design. We are making a stand.
Art should not be beyond reach. Each of our design works has its own spatial expression, and artistic quality and spirituality outside physicality.
Project name: Apartment C1 — Nifty Art | Apartment C2 — Cool Gentleman
Design firm: AD ARCHITECTURE – www.arch-ad.com
Chief designer: Xie Peihe
Design team: AD ARCHITECTURE
Construction team: AD CONSTRUCTION
Location: Shantou, Guangdong, China
Construction area: C1: 160 m2|C2: 205 m2
Main materials: marble, matte brick, special effects paint, white matte paint, wood veneer, wooden flooring
Start time: October 2018
Completion time: May 2019
Photography: Ouyang Yun
Special thanks to: German Moorgen Smart Home, Amina (invisible speaker), Beamy (wooden flooring), Kohler, Hansgorhe, Rolansini (doors and windows), Oikos, Heal-Power, Fanpin (wood veneers), Daxing (stone materials).
