Concrete walls, cement floors, grey tiles, marble and dark stained wood meet in this Taipei apartment created by Wei Yi International Design Associates for "an elder with great fortune and rich experience".The Taipei- and Shanghai-based practice said the client wanted a home with "a delicate balance" and "tender atmosphere".
The 270-square-metre apartment has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, utility room, living room, two balcony terraces and a dining room.A deep blue wall with an uneven finish envelopes the entrance hall and dining room, which are separated by a large built-in storage cupboard placed in the centre of the space. The shape of the blue wall was designed to recall the Chinese character.
A long corridor that runs the entire length of the apartment divides the space in two. It also lets daylight from the windows at either end filter through the space.Positioned along the inside wall of the apartment, the dining room and entrance hall are separated from the adjacent living room space by a concrete column.
Two large openings on either side of the column link the spaces, forming a "broken-plan" layout that provides separation while allowing light to filter through into the windowless dining room and entrance hall spaces.The architects explain that this wall acts "not only as the spatial division, but also the spiritual boundary, as if earthly life and pure land are separated by a line". In the living room, the architects used the exposed concrete walls like "canvases" for the furniture, which includes rectilinear shelving and storage solutions. A storage cabinet with a deep red mottled finish is the only accent of colour in the otherwise grey space.
