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Residence W
The lead designer of FWS_Work, a design studio based in Taiwan and New York, pursued his passion in Taiwan before moving to New York to explore new ways of creation. Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the designer was commissioned by the owner, an old friend, and a classmate of his at the department of industrial design, to design the W House – the first project of FWS_Work since its inception.
The owner later changed his career to be a pilot, who constantly flies to different parts of the world. He bought a house at Qingpu, Taoyuan, somewhere in the vicinity of where he works, and commissioned the designer to turn it into a vacation retreat. In an open format, the living space in oak features a contrast between black and white, oozing a vibe of charm as an urban getaway for a cloistered life. Since the occupants are few in number, the original layout of four rooms was adjusted to a new plan with a master bedroom, a bedroom for the elder and guest, and a home gym to make the living room and kitchen bigger, with the dining room’s T-shaped island as a core area for social gatherings with drinks and food.
Today’s residential buildings generally have protruded beams and, without exception, this project has a structural beam spanning the public space. The designer adopted a refreshing approach by turning it into an element that separates the space and attracts attention. Drawing on the concept of an enlarged ‘portal’, he increased the thickness of the volume on both sides under the beam to create a frame that implicitly defines the living room, work area, dining room, and kitchen. The beam lends a sense of horizontal extension to the living and dining rooms, and the single desk and central island combine to define a casual circulation, creating transparency between open spaces and separating elements.
The all-black kitchen serves as the background for the wood-covered living spaces, but the handcrafted mouth-blown glass bulbs, arranged as a row of spotlights, illuminate the wine bottles placed side by side on the shelves, suddenly turning the kitchen into a buzzing Japanese-style roadside stand. Small square bricks in black matte color, veneers, leather, and even iron hanging cabinets are all black, completely covering the spaces while lending welcome layers of touch, just like a cool urbanite with a deep thought. The T-shaped island can be used as a table for having breakfast and a bar for serving drinks. The dining cabinet, also made of oak, has rattan doors, and the items inside are visible when lit at night, seemingly clear yet impenetrable, with hand-woven textures adding warmth and homey feeling to the house. This design concept finds its way to the walls of the home gym where transmitted light gives desired warmth.
Rounded elements are used as decorations to make life here full of fun. For example, the circular mirror at the entrance, the floor partly covered with circular tiles, and the dining room chandeliers and chairs, among others, all feature lines that soothe tiredness instantly. At the end of the corridor is a circular neon light tube that ushers the owner, tired from a long flight, into his bedroom for relaxation. The ceiling of the master bedroom shows low-saturation blue-green to visually eliminate the irregular structure, so do the ocher of the home gym and the dark blue of the guest room. In short, the project features light, soft colors for soothing the soul. Home is where one enjoys a relaxing vacation experience.
W寓
FWS_Work是一間駐點於台灣與紐約的設計工作室，主持設計師傅裕翔曾在台灣工作一段時間，之後轉向美國紐約尋求更多設計可能性。2019年疫情前，本案屋主，也是設計師大學就讀工業設計系的同學向他提出了自宅設計請求。藉此，成為FWS_Work成立以來的第一件設計。
屋主後來轉換職涯跑道，成為一名航空機師，不斷在世界各地飛行、停泊。至於台灣，他選擇鄰近工作地點的桃園青埔購置房屋，並委託舊識好友為他擘劃一場居家度假旅行。在開放的住宅空間中，橡木與黑白對比，構築成都會中隱士的避世感。原有空間格局為四房，將之調整為三房格局含主臥室、客房及居家健身房等，賦予客廳、廚房尺度更為廣闊，餐廳的T型中島亦是屋主邀朋友來小酌聚會的重要核心。
如今典型住宅建築，泰半梁位突兀。本案公領域正好橫貫一結構梁，設計師思考著與其遮蔽，不如將之轉換為空間界定元素及視覺焦點。於是，運用放大版「門框」（portal）概念，增厚梁下兩側，創造完整框型，隱晦地界定客廳與工作區、餐廳與廚房；且梁的橫向，同時讓公領域衍生水平延展視感。而獨立書桌與餐桌則劃分出環繞動線，無限循環，流暢於開放場域之間。
