Peny Hsieh Interiors completes The Sculpted Penthouse in Taipei, a 230 square meter duplex residence that turns a fragmented urban penthouse into a calm and continuous home. Recently named a 2026 Architizer A+Awards Jury Winner in the Residential Interiors under 3,000 square feet category, the project reworks the apartment through daylight, circulation and material continuity.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Set atop a residential tower, the original home carried the promise of a penthouse without fully offering its spatial advantages. Low ceilings, broken circulation and uneven daylight limited the experience of the interior, while the terrace remained exposed and underused despite its position above the city. Peny Hsieh Interiors approached these conditions directly, using the renovation to reorganize the home from within rather than cover its limitations with decorative gestures.
The studio treated the duplex as one sculpted environment. Walls, ceilings and transitions move with a softened geometry, reducing abrupt edges and creating a slower rhythm between rooms. A warm mineral finish wraps the main surfaces, while a jointless grey floor connects the living, dining and kitchen areas across the lower level. The restrained palette gives the apartment a grounded atmosphere and allows each space to flow into the next without hard separation.
At the center of the residence, the staircase becomes the defining architectural element. Its curved form links the two floors and gives the home a clear vertical anchor. Rounded timber treads rise from a sculpted base toward a circular glass oculus above, drawing daylight into the interior and creating a visual connection between the upper and lower levels. The oculus gives the duplex a central point of orientation, allowing the home to open around light rather than around walls.
This attention to circulation shapes the entire project. Movement through the apartment feels guided rather than forced, with the stair, floor plane and curved surfaces working together to support a sense of quiet continuity. Furniture and lighting follow the same logic, chosen to strengthen the architecture instead of competing with it.
The terrace becomes another key part of the renovation. Once exposed and rarely used, it now functions as an extension of daily life. A lightweight pergola filters glare and heat, making the outdoor area more comfortable throughout the day. Low furniture keeps the space relaxed, while the skyline of Taipei, including Taipei 101, remains visible in the distance. The terrace no longer acts as a leftover exterior zone, but as part of the home’s living sequence.
Upstairs, the private areas continue the same restrained language. An intimate lounge, primary suite and two bathrooms are arranged around the oculus, maintaining a connection to the central volume below. The primary bathroom uses pale surfaces and a quieter atmosphere, while the guest bathroom adopts a darker and more enclosed character. Across both levels, material choices remain limited to mineral textures, timber, muted tones and soft transitions.
The Sculpted Penthouse reflects Peny Hsieh Interiors’ focus on proportion, daylight and the way a home is lived in over time. Rather than imposing a new image onto the apartment, the studio found a spatial logic within its existing structure and reshaped it into a more balanced interior. The result is a penthouse that feels calm, functional and carefully composed, with light and movement guiding the experience of the home.
