From a purely intuitive perspective, the doctor diagnosed it as spatial split personality.
From the outside it is a whole, but within lives two disparate souls;
they chafe, tangle, refuse, and erode each other, impossible to separate,
until the enormous contrast crystallizes into an impressive vessel.
Grey morning, white night,
is it the semi-finished product of chaotic thoughts?
Or was it ravaged by fierce flames, then returned to deathly silence?
Is it also possible to have different idea:
that it is a hazy concept of an arc that ambiguously converts in the rolling waves.
The water-stained shell is spotted and peeling,
but the still beating tendons are lively and protruding;
the darkness hidden in the corner is a flyleaf filled with the marks of time,
with so much history waiting to be uncovered.
The horizon on the wall cuts open two-dimensions,
each with its subtleties, each with its trajectory.
The pure white and the dirty, scabbing concrete grey intermix,
and in the same time-space
the world’s nearest and farthest distance is created.
Retaining the upper structure of the original design,
the designer uses minimalism to return to the basics.
While the view of the higher angles are stagnant,
the view below the horizon,
that is the half wall, floor, and long table,
are simple and succinct in their functions and design.
The atmosphere is detached and vacuumlike,
but the whiteness is thick, heavy and engaging.
Only the transparent chair occasionally refracts light or an amazed gaze,
adding to the brilliancy of the memories made in the get togethers.
Design Concept
This project is the renovation of the lower first floor of an old commercial building. The owner wished to include diversity to the space, which led to the following design themes.
Appearance: Contrast of Color and Material
The main space is open-plan where, by using the most basic materials, we created a strong contrast of colors and of new / old materials. For example, the walls are painted with smooth greyish white paint from the waist down; whereas the original concrete structure is retained from the waist up. This creates a vocabulary of yin and yang, light and heavy, new and old, delicate and coarse. When coupled with spotlights, a conversation is struck up between the coexisting parts, like a single organism that is inhabited by two souls, enticing spectators to take part or to use their imagination, creating a rich theatrical tension in the space.
Utility: A setting for both action and stillness
Using the original structure as the anchoring point, we added wooden counters, white tabletops, and transparent plexiglass chairs to create mobile clusters that allows intimacy and privacy, and maximizes the spaciousness of the room.
The space is set up as a trial coffee shop, but the low-interference of the colors and decors make it versatile enough to be used as a private club, a small theatre, a night club, a music hall, a lecture hall, a book club, and any short-term cultural, artistic exhibit with a clear theme that requires diverse spatial settings.
Credits
Taipei
Taiwan
Confidential
12/2020
60 mq
Mr.Lee
Yunyih Interior Design Company
Lee Kuo min
Curriculum
The main space is open-plan where, by using the most basic materials, we created a strong contrast of colors and of new / old materials. For example, the walls are painted with smooth greyish white paint from the waist down; whereas the original concrete structure is retained from the waist up. This creates a vocabulary of yin and yang, light and heavy, new and old, delicate and coarse. When coupled with spotlights, a conversation is struck up between the coexisting parts, like a single organism that is inhabited by two souls, enticing spectators to take part or to use their imagination, creating a rich theatrical tension in the space.
Utility: A setting for both action and stillness
Using the original structure as the anchoring point, we added wooden counters, white tabletops, and transparent plexiglass chairs to create mobile clusters that allows intimacy and privacy, and maximizes the spaciousness of the room.