Orig. Life
Each object that bears the passage of time has a unique soul. From selecting and restoring to collecting, these antique items transform into the defining memories of a space and infuse it with personal character. The owners, a pair of brothers working in the city, place great importance on the imagination that objects bring to a space. After considering numerous items, they chose this old residence for its unique character and decided to make it their home. The elder brother has a deep love and appreciation for objects, possessing an old soul by nature. He is also a collector who deals in antiques, aiming to transform the space into a minimalist and streamlined area where the collected items can express their unique and cherished presence within the flow of the space.
The owners possess a unique insight into the essence of objects, thus expressing the purest form of their living space is their interpretation of home. After several discussions, the designer decided to retain the original layout. The entrance area features an angle iron shelf for convenient storage of coats and shoes. Adjacent to the entrance is a large custom storage room at the corner, designed to store more treasured antiques. The exterior of the sliding door of this storage room doubles as a wall for placing a magazine rack, allowing easy access to subscribed or collected publications. On leisurely weekends, one can brew a cup of lightly roasted, washed coffee and enjoy a pleasant reading time in any part of the living or dining room, transforming the vertical door panel into a unique storage nook.
Designer Cheng Hao-Chien preserved the raw texture of the original exposed concrete ceiling to echo the owners' pursuit of the essence of space. This coexists harmoniously with the soft white tones dominating the floor and walls. In the public area, the warmth of wooden elements from antique pieces like the dining table, single chairs, and wooden boxes used as coffee tables contrast with the stainless steel and EMT pipe metal elements in the kitchen island, creating visual harmony through differing textures. CA Interior Design has applied and infused many concepts in response to the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. They minimized the use of excessive decorative materials to significantly reduce the potential waste from demolition. Birch wood flooring, categorized as an eco-friendly material, was used to reshape the space's personality while also being environmentally friendly. Moreover, the exposed ceiling retained the original construction's hand-drawn wiring and dimension markings. Instead of being erased, these unadorned traces and textures were preserved by the owners, conveying the brothers' demand for the home's true essence.
The kitchen island bar serves as a boundary, with the area behind it designated as the private quarters. The designer created a special activity space for the family's feline member in the younger brother's secondary bedroom. This includes a cat tree and a thoughtfully retained old air conditioner window with glass and a shelf, providing a small sunny playground for the cat to enjoy, fulfilling the younger brother's meticulous care for his pet. The master bedroom combines personality with a touch of playfulness. Wooden supports are used to create shelves out of skateboards, while a metal suitcase with custom legs serves as a desk, paired with an antique single chair. From the pendant lights to the wall lamps, the strong character of an old soul is evident throughout the room.
Objects in the space subvert the conventional functions of furniture and redefine their intended uses. Starting from the essence of each item, the space integrates antique pieces to create a new definition. By restoring the original expression of the space, each piece and its function sketches an imaginative outline, ultimately achieving an ideal, comfortable, and personalized living environment.
