This is a perfect mixture of the moden and Chinese style by eliminating the unnecessities and harmonizely adding some Chinese detail in design which do not only make this beautiful home so comfortable but also showcase the ancient cultures.
This modern home depicts Chinese cultures through its magnificent architectural design that perfectly describes the cultural background of the homeowner, appointed the architects from LWD Architecture & Interior Design team to magically design this simple yet very luxurious modern home. A Chinese design can be spotted on detailing works such as funitures, color scheme and patterns, as well as lighting design. Architects cleverly hide those lights on ceilings and furniture, from the hallway to the bedroom which make this house so aesthetically beautiful all day and night.
“Concept of this home design is modern but some cultural designs are required to harmonize the modern and the old world. We use neutral color tone and a large sized mirror in the hallway to allow natural light through the house. Natural light does not only make the house look bigger but maintains the modern look and feel. Modern furnitures may look simply elegant but they help break the classical look of the decorative walls. We add Chinese details in some areas such as moulding. door panels or built-in cabinets that have a very special design by laying behind the glass cabinet panels. We use black oak color on these ancient Chinese-inspired cabinets which comes with the wood lathing shelves,” says the architects about their design ideas.
Airy home is another challenge that the architect received from the homeowners. Both Khun Fon and Khun Pan wants a comfortable family home that embraces Chinese culture like tea drinking which was passing down in Khun Pan’s family for many generations. It is more than just a culture but an art and rituals that still exists even when the world has changed so rapidly. To reflect their nees, a modern Chinese tea room, located by a swimming pool, is specifically designed to serve just this purpose.
“The homeonwers throw a challenge for us to add another stand alone building to be used as a functional multi-purpose space to the existing layout. We proposed the idea and the homeowners agreed for a tea room. So we designed this room to correspond with the water flows of the swimming pool or the lake. This tea room building is designed to locate lower than the house so it can stay very close to the lake. The room is also surrounded by a special feature of an excessive or overflowing water so the homeowners can enjoy tea drinking ritual while relaxing and listening to the water sounds in the background with the scenic view of the lake at the same time.”
Interior design of this house emphasizes the natural elements of materials such as showcasing the marble-like granito tiles on the back panels of the solid black oak cabinets which is used to store collectibles. This Chinese-inspired design derived from an ancient wood carving pattern and mixed with some simple detail that results in a modern design.
“We notified the architect that we want a tea room by the pool specifically for visiting friends or business guests. For Chinese, it is very important to treat our guests with some tea drinking. It has much more meaning than what it looks like. Basically, tea drinking symbolizes friendship,” says Khun Fon.
One of the design elements that fulfill both modern and ancient world is the classical design of some furnitures such as the horseshoe chair or Quanyi in Chinese which symbolizes the prosperity as it had been used by wealthy families back in the old day. Khun Fon and her husband, Khun Pan, handpicked this piece of furnitures and imported from China. There are also some modernity in the mix which are selected by the designer. Main features of these furnitures are comfortability and most importantly they have to meet the users’ needs as exemplified by the use of real leather or goose feather. These materials are comfortable and serve multi-function purpose really well. The use of gold color materials, crystal or shiny materials can also be seen in order to create some luxurious touch and elegant feeling.
