Yuyao Minglu (Model Room)

The world changes, out with the old and in with the new. The project, built in two old houses with traces of the past, creates a poetic habitat of a modern life with a bit of a lifestyle among traditional Chinese intellectuals, which is free from the mundane details. The living space is reshaped, where Yangming’s thought is reborn.

A sober and independent lifestyle indicates a reflection on the relationship between the self and external world. The design of a home is to life what a nest is to a bird, it is a place to rest after a long day of “flying”. Therefore, how to create a resting place where one can think freely and observe the external world at the same time becomes the focus of the design.

The sitting room in the first floor features a mixture of vintage carved windows and lighting embedded in a square grid of the ceiling, where visitors can look out onto the courtyard and enjoy the conflicts, fusion and overlap of the classical and the modern views.

Round-shaped side tables and coffee tables are interspersed in a clean, linear space, where the straight and curved lines are set in contrast.The chairs made of leather and felt add a sense of movement to the orderly space.

Located under the sloping roof of the original structure, the master room on the second floor is a soft and cozy modern space. The light-toned wood finishes and a few metallic and glass elements, illuminated by the warm wall light and roof light, overlap to create a pure, elegant and calming retreat of modern life.

In the underground floor, where the living room is located, the whole space is decorated with lines that link different rooms, where the family members can feel companionship, being connected while being independent of one another.The entire 4-meter-high space is filled with gentle light that comes from the PVC ceiling, blending together different spaces.

The use of natural and rough materials in the living room makes a striking contrast with the modern materials. For example, the natural coffee table, and the walls made of the light-colored wood planks and dark-colored stone slabs make the owner feel a touch of nature, as if hewere in a wilderness of sheltered modern lifestyle.