Apartment Glow

Renovated as pied-à-terre for a young family often traveling, Apartment Twilight explored how an unremarkable space can be stripped down to a minimalistic and modern interior, which brings warmth and light into the home and a sense of openness. The tension and dialogue that follows amongst environment and space and family form the hallmark of the renovation.

Photo: ZHU Hai Video: ZHU Hai Stylist: ZHU Judy

Functionally, the apartment is divided into two zones — a spacious public one with a living room, a kitchen, a dining area and a study; and a private area with a master room, a child's room, a den and a guest suite. A few minor changes were added to the layout. Originally, the entrance had been blocked by a row of cabinets, instead we opened the original hallway by removing the partition cabinet and enclosing the front access of the study with the wall, in order to form a seamless transition from one area to another. For the residents' comfort, the storage cabinet was added on the right of the entrance.

In living area, the changed full-length glass façade can be opened completely and not only floods the home with gorgeous light, but also maximizes the views to the city and Xiang River beyond. The landscape becomes an extension of the built environment to really embrace an indoor and outdoor lifestyle. For uncompromising to visual access and any natural light, the balcony sliding doors both in the living area and the master room were cancelled. The most surprising improvement was made to the master room, which previously has a long non-functional space entering the master bedroom. A walk-in wardrobe insertion acts a buffer between spaces.

A neutral color and lightly rendered surface allow for a minimalistic and modern aesthetic, whilst highlighting aspects from this apartment, like veiny marble on the wall or on the base of breakfast island which are all in nod to the texture of the spectacular marble table in the core of the common area. Bright white joinery contrasts delicately with the black herringbone flooring pattern. These pieces brought a distinctly modern-yet-practical touch to the home while remaining in harmony with the environment and new design elements.