Fluttering Daylight | YUTO Design | World Design Awards 2025

YUTO Design: Winner of World Design Awards 2025. Within the contours of the city, every old building carries a unique imprint of life. This project embodies such a narrative—gentle yet resolute. The homeowner sought to preserve as many original elements as possible while infusing the space with a renewed sense of modernity and harmony through thoughtful design.

Within the contours of the city, every old building carries a unique imprint of life. This project embodies such a narrative—gentle yet resolute. The homeowner sought to preserve as many original elements as possible while infusing the space with a renewed sense of modernity and harmony through thoughtful design. The design team explored ways to optimize the living experience within the existing conditions, ensuring that the space balances both comfort and functionality. Ultimately, an open social area was established as the core of the overall layout, providing a spacious setting for gatherings. Through precise material selection and meticulous detailing, the design achieves a balanced and multi-layered aesthetic.

The defining highlight of this design lies in the seamless integration of “preservation and innovation”. The space adopts a warm, earthy palette complemented by soft beige tones, accented with black panels and gray mirrors to create an atmosphere that is both grounded and rich in layers. The green entrance door, initially a design constraint, was cleverly transformed into a distinctive highlight through the use of a coordinating backdrop, harmonizing with the surrounding colors. Additionally, the incorporation of curved elements serves as a key feature, softening the rigid lines of structural beams and enhancing the fluidity of the space. This elegant curvature is subtly echoed in ceiling and wall details, reinforcing a graceful design language. The spacious and open social area allows the homeowner to effortlessly transition between daily life and social gatherings, striking a flexible balance. Meanwhile, concealed storage solutions ensure both practicality and a clean, uncluttered aesthetic. Renovating an old apartment does not mean discarding the past but rather engaging in a graceful dialogue with memory. It is not about complete reinvention but about weaving the charm of the past into the aesthetics of contemporary living.

The original wooden flooring was preserved and seamlessly integrated into the new interior design through the extension of furniture and decorative elements. The TV wall, featuring a soft white base with delicate gray stone-textured panels, enhances the modern aesthetic of the social space with a minimal yet sophisticated visual effect. To seamlessly integrate the structural beam and column, a curved extension was incorporated, softening the architectural lines while maintaining spatial fluidity. A matte black thin panel introduces a subtle yet refined texture, complementing the gary mirrored storage cabinet in the dining area. To prevent a sense of compression, the ceiling was designed with a flat surface, while selectively incorporating curved elements to introduce a softer, more inviting aesthetic. At the transition between the dining and living areas, gray mirror was chosen as the primary material for the storage cabinet. Its reflective surface further expands the perceived depth of the space, ensuring that the simplicity of the design is complemented by a rich, layered visual experience.

The residence features a three-bedroom, three-bathroom layout, offering a spacious social area and a highly functional private domain. The original dual-access passage between the dining area and study was modified by sealing one side and replacing it with a glass storage cabinet. This adjustment enhances the privacy of the study while improving the overall circulation within the space. In the entryway, a slanted cabinet design provides additional storage functionality, optimizing organization. Meanwhile, concealed doors seamlessly integrate the bathroom entrances with the surrounding walls, maintaining visual consistency. Additionally, the site benefits from excellent natural lighting and ventilation. To preserve these advantages, the design team retained large windows, ensuring continuous airflow and reducing reliance on artificial lighting by maximizing the use of natural daylight.

Upon completion, the homeowner expressed great satisfaction with the transformation. In particular, they appreciated the seamless integration of visual balance and storage functionality, noting that the space not only preserved the warmth of the original architecture but also showcased the refinement of modern design. The lighting strips on either side of the television wall create a soft, layered ambiance at night, enhancing the home’s warmth and inviting atmosphere. The combination of hidden storage solutions and smart appliances further elevates daily convenience, ensuring that the open-plan layout remains both uncluttered and well-organized. The design team successfully revitalized and optimized the space, achieving a precise balance between aesthetic appeal and living comfort. As time passes, the home continues to radiate its distinctive charm, embodying a timeless elegance.