Mr. Manuel N. Zornoza, chief designer of LATITUDE, was invited by “Better Homes And Gardens” magazine to appear in the SPACE SHOW, of its July 2014 issue. His challenge? To design a 90sqm private washroom/bathroom for Lang Lang, a pianist of international renown.

With the daily hustle and bustle dictated by contemporary life, urban dwellers often find themselves bathed in a cacophony of sounds and a chaos of colors. As such, under the directive auspices of Mr. Zornoza, the LATITUDE design group endeavored to create a peaceful, cozy respite, using minimalist elements and the purest of color palettes.

We were working with three core functional areas - the living room, the bathroom and the washroom. All were decorated with piano key-shaped tiles and gray or gravel colored wallpaper. For the living room, we preserved the natural cement floor, deliberately avoiding the use of an over-the-top bright color. For us, the living room is the dwelling of an apartment's soul; it's a congenial place destined to be filled with the heartwarming company and animated chatter of dear friends, or a place meant for idling away the evening with an entrancing book. Stemming from this concept, our design adapts to the layout of the overall space, maximizing feelings of coziness and relaxation in every corner and with the placement of every piece of furniture. Most of the furniture used in the space exhibits smooth lines and gentle arcs, not only to provide enhanced comfort, but also to enhance the harmony of the entire space. Using a white, translucent sheer curtain as a barrier between the living room and the indoor garden, the space is seamlessly, but subtly united. In it, people may relax to the fullest or enjoy a promenade around the nearby garden and bamboo grove.

A small, lush, verdant, indoor garden connects the living room and the bathroom. A few imposing Chinese bamboo stalks and a clean, white cobblestoned path, together with the flowing and semi-transparent milky-white curtains compose a buffer area, providing a feeling of privacy as well a pleasant coalescence of elements.

The arc wood barrier in the bathroom functions as a partition, adding an aesthetically pleasing element of privacy as well as playful decoration. Outfitted with a TV and a few books stacked on one side of the table, the bathroom is a place for one to linger while relishing the more relaxing moments of life after a busy day. In these surroundings, making l'art de vivre a more compulsory part of daily life becomes almost effortless.

Compared with the relaxing aura of the bathroom, the washroom is airy and light. With a similar wooden barrier, sanitary ware and the basin are installed on the left side, leaving an empty space on the right. Here, a full-length mirror enlarges the space. A bamboo storage basket, beige towels and low black and white checkered leather seats contribute to the freshness and style of the whole area. Finally, the walnut finishing of the furniture goes very well with the serene color of the bathtub.                                                                                                                                                                                                   Considering Lang Lang’s professional identification as a pianist, we've purposely chosen black and white as our base colors. For us, it is not a matter of the size of an apartment, but of the design philosophy employed in it. Baroque decor and excessive ornamentation have their time and place, but only pure colors and minimalist, elegant decoration can release a true sense of soul.