Project Overview

This house, where art and nature coexist in harmony, is quite special, from the architecture to the interior design. The neo-Asian naturalistic style of the building's façade is paired with an interior design that is different from the conventional sense of wabi-sabi style, which advocates a glimpse of minimalist living aesthetics in a calm space, emphasising the relationship between things and time, a simple and rustic, yet delicate and hidden luxury beauty.

Organisation

SCALE ART DESIGN CO • LTD

Team

Botta Lai, Gary, Ricky, Carol, Tibo, Bella

Project Brief

Crafted by scale art design co • ltd and located in Shanghai. The project features a New Asian naturalistic style building facade and wabi-sabi style interior design, a perfect blend of nature and art. From the living room to the staircase to the bedrooms, each space reveals the designer's ingenuity, presenting a calm and unique living aesthetic. The design team fully respects the owner's needs and uses innovative design elements to create a home filled with a sense of ceremony and warmth. The design of the suspended staircase combined with the lift highlights the innovation and shows the layered sense of space. The open study provides space for creativity and interaction among family members. Lai Jianan's design team skilfully blends wabi-sabi style with modern functionality to create a home that is in harmony with nature and full of emotion." Under the baptism of time, it reveals a design essence of great depth and substance, making it an outstanding example of the intersection of art and life.

Project Need

Through the designer and the owner's trip to Brazil, they deepened their mutual understanding. The fusion of New Asian naturalism and wabi-sabi style shows the innovation of style mixing. Visually, the large floor-to-ceiling windows bring in light and create a sense of hierarchy with the suspended staircase. The owner's greenery preferences are skilfully integrated into the interior and courtyard, achieving a combination of ecology and aesthetics. These design highlights, inspired by Brazil, reflect the integration of the owner's life philosophy, creating a harmonious symbiosis through the mixing and matching of styles. Through a deep understanding of the owner's needs, the home is infused with unique inspiration and glamour through innovative fusion, unity of functional aesthetics, and a combination of traditional and modern.

Design Challenge

The challenge was to incorporate the owner's contemporary art collection and old objects collected from around the world into the design space. Firstly, how to organically integrate these artworks and objects into the design so that they not only become decorative but also echo the space as one, required careful planning. Secondly, it is important to maintain the coherence and unity of the overall design to avoid cluttering it with too many miscellaneous items. Considering that these objects may vary in style, size and colour, it is a challenge to make them echo each other in the space without losing their individuality. At the same time, it is important to ensure that these artefacts and old objects play a prominent role in the design and are not marginalised. Adequate communication with the owners was also crucial to understand their emotions and desire to incorporate their unique collections and memories into the design. In summary, the project faced the design challenge of balance and creativity in incorporating the owner's art collection and old objects, which needed to be carefully planned and co-ordinated so that these elements would become the highlight of the space and add unique character and charm to the overall design.

Sustainability

Large floor-to-ceiling windows are used in the building design to maximise the use of natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. From the façade to the interior design, the window ratios take into account Shanghai's light patterns, a move that not only saves energy but also creates a comfortable indoor environment.
The owner's preference for greenery extends the concept of sustainability to both indoors and outdoors. The design of the large courtyard is filled with greenery, which not only beautifies the space, but also improves air quality, creating a natural ecological balance between indoors and outdoors. The owner planted the courtyard with greenery, which not only enlivens the space, but is also eco-friendly in its daily maintenance.
Overall, through the large floor-to-ceiling windows and the arrangement of greenery, the natural light and ecological environment are fully considered to achieve the goal of sustainable development. This design concept not only creates a comfortable and environmentally friendly living environment for the owners, but also provides a positive example of sustainable development.