Old apartment makeover- a Nordic style home for a young couple and their new born twins
From CHIN YU DESIGN
Lin House, a project which is taken place in a 45 year old apartment in Shi-Lin district of Taipei. Like many old apartments in Taipei, they possess different kinds of problems such as: water leakages, insufficient natural light, interior space in disproportion, and etc. The owners, in order to welcome the arrival of their twin babies, they are hoping the reborn of their old apartment as well.
On the original ground floor plan, public space was separated into two zones which caused blockage of interactions. Therefore, for the new design, boundaries between private and public spaces are readjusted. The vertical circulation, a steel staircase, becomes the focal point in the public space, which also brings an opportunity of letting the natural light coming thru the roof.
Due to different interior style preferences between Mr. and Mrs. Lin, at the foyer, vintage tiles are used to emphasize the apartment’s age. While for the living room, unnecessary decoration is removed to bring a sense of open space while on its back wall, pastel beige is chosen to resemble a Scandinavian ambience.
Because of its ceiling height limitations, a drop ceiling is carefully designed. It is constructed as one space volume hung from above, instead of sealing up the whole ceiling, which maintains the maximum ceiling height and also serves as a device to hide the AC unit within. Its sliding base is designed for future maintenance and the track lights below are also served as a tool to define the space module.
The kitchen design, a lower counter is combined with a higher “bar style” counter edge which serve as dining surface for light meals while the kids do their homework on the table at the side. A drip tray is also added to help with a frequent cleaning of cups and plates for the kids. A lightweight open metal shelving hovering over the counter enables the natural light from the living room to the kitchen space without blockage.
The kitchen is marked by a raised floor. Uneven textured reflective brick tiles and industrial metal wall lamps, are not only easy to be cleaned, but also echoes the black coated glass of the kitchen cabinetry.
In overall, the contrast from kitchen dark color scheme and light color scheme of the living room brings an extra layer to the public space.