Project Name: A Private House at Citic Shanyu Lake

Project location: Citic Shanyu Lake, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China

Project area: 950 square meters

Completion time: early 2021

Design company: Foshan Giant Decoration Design Co., Ltd.

Chief designer: Xiaojie Li, Zhiqiang Hu

Main materials: wood, metal, paint

Project Photography: Yun Ouyang of Yinxiang Image Architectural Photography

Written by: Qiuzhen Kong

Giant Design Xiaojie Li: Love at first sight, and love forever

Life and art do not exist in isolation.

When first constructed, the space was pure,

as an honest expression of the inner heart.

01

Love at first sight, and love forever

The beauty of life is just as the lyrics said, "Life and art do not exist in isolation. When first constructed, the space was pure, as an honest expression of the inner heart."

For the designer, it is not difficult to construct a space. The challenge is to give the space a soul so that the residents can get along with it for a long time and reach the level of "loving it at first sight, and loving forever".

In this project, the designer implements the spiritual concept of enjoying, communicating, and thinking in the design, strengthening the interrelationship between people and space, and presenting the dweller’s purest pursuit for life.

When entering the house, the sense of ritual gathers slowly with the movement of light and shade, and the function unfolds accordingly.

The open and concise elevation is simply divided by lines, making the space become relevant, and acting as the "face" of home in an unobtrusive way.

The wooden grille outlined with small lattice lines on the solid partition wall dilutes the boundary. The wood, glass, and small-area stone materials that hide their original true beauty are used to convey a mild and graceful taste.

With contemporary techniques, the decoration of the living room reinterprets the Chinese aesthetics that the homeowner has longed for. The vaguely layered interface and materials of penetrating and continuous feature are used to improve the living quality, catering to the individuality of the homeowner skillfully.02

Return to nature and embrace everything

Life is a private emotion, returning to nature, but also containing the emotions of all things. The ultimate after restraint is freedom.

To build a space where one can get rid of the surroundings and grow with space, the designer creates a meditation room, where the dweller can feel the tranquility of living on the mountain. The glimmers behind gauze curtains bring beauty and mystery to the space. At this moment, everything in the world seems to be turned into nothing, leaving only the dialogue between the occupant and nature and life.    Combining the owner’s quiet personality and the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, the designer adjusts the layout by adding a meditation room in the master bedroom. Created through hidden parts, this new space not only meets the homeowner’s meditation needs but also conveys the appreciation for outstanding nature and the understanding of the humble existence of architecture as a part of nature, achieving the collision and balance between architecture and man and nature.

The master bedroom suite on the third floor dispenses with heavy decorations, bringing a natural and balanced sense of simplicity, and conveying the best state of human life.

As the sun shines through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows to the study room, every single object and every material breathes in the same space, intertwined with each other, presenting the quiet and beautiful minimalist design.

Located next to the mountain, the beautiful scenery of outdoor landscape can be viewed from the bay window in the study room.

03

Details matter in space

"Architecture is a creation, a reinvention."

Space is created by objects, so objects are functional requirements, as well as the root of the spatial levels. It is a carrier surrounded by movement paths.

The simple line details are extended from the underground to the third floor, like frozen notes, telling the story of beauty in space.

The staircase is made of stone and the handrail has a transparent glass partition, which allows light to enter. At the same time, it reveals the characteristics of the staircase, creating extraordinary lighting effects and spatial depth.

Over the course of time, the space is constantly being redefined. The dining room is a source of vitality to start the day and a healing outlet to release fatigue by staying with family.

The elegance of wood is blended with the light and shadow that jumps in. The dining table is interspersed with marble texture, which extends the boundaries and constructs a sense of sight that combines rigidity and softness, implying the life attitude of the occupants.

The white island defines the kitchen area, in which the wooden cabinets add a touch of beauty and natural comfort, and the natural light creates a cozy and warm cooking atmosphere.

The elegant blanks enrich the space, restore the essence of space, reduce unnecessary objects, and make life simple.

Every ornament has its place, telling the story of its own time, and the sculpture has become the finishing touch to the unique artistic conception, filling a warm atmosphere into the dialogue between the space and the occupant.

The tea room has a private and tranquil atmosphere through a silent and seamless design, which aims to calm the inner noise, and the non-exaggerated materials make people consciously abandon unnecessary things. In this simple and harmonious space, light, shadow, and form all show a graceful temperament.With a simple structure, the project has a perfect integration of the building and the environment, in which each perspective is like a painting, constructing a restrained elegance in a calm environment, looking for the nature of the material, and advocating the closeness and harmony between building and people and environment.

An ideal home should be like an invisible arm that embraces every tired guest from anywhere. In its gentle and unhurried atmosphere, residents can breathe freely and pleasantly, and there is no need to look around because the mind is peaceful here.

In this project, the designer combined the sense of harmony between man and nature, conveying the appreciation for outstanding nature and the understanding of the humble existence of architecture as a part of nature, achieving the collision and balance between architecture and man and nature. The exterior wall paint is applied to the whole house, which is environmentally friendly and water-resistant, so there is no need to worry about the rainy season in the south of China. Special treatment is made on the indoor cultural stone and the windows in the staircase and the living room have been amplified so that the natural light can be fully introduced into the room to achieve the effect of natural light and ventilation.

Outdoor garden mainly adopts greening of lawns and bamboo, and stone paths to highlight the natural essence; while the garden lighting adopts solar lamp design, the energy-saving, and environmentally-friendly material application concepts express the respect for the natural environment and time. In the fast and busy modern life, let’s find an inch of space worth slowing down and enjoying.