Sparkling | Home co.ltd. | World Design Awards 2024

Home co.ltd.: Winner of World Design Awards 2024. The site is an old apartment. The residents want to have a new experience in a familiar space. Instead of the old color scheme, the designer boldly injected a strong modern style. Dark-colored objects enhance the sense of calmness and create a completely different atmosphere from the past. Light-colored furniture and walls then blend in harmony and serenity, making the space a tranquil place with a distinctive style.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION／DIFFERENTIATION	‧A practical and aesthetic kitchen The open kitchen shows a cozy atmosphere with natural light. The moru glass sliding door blocks grease and smoke without affecting the light, and can serve as a screen. The kitchen is customized to the lifestyle of the residents. The kitchen island forms a loop circulation that retains functionality while incorporating the designer’s consideration and care. ‧Unobstructed Natural Light The designer retained the natural light from both sides of the walkway and supplemented it with artificial lighting so that the corridor is not dim. The open study room avoids blocking the light, while the sliding door in the kitchen provides flexible lighting. ‧Consistency and Harmony Most of the cabinets are system cabinets. The custom-made wooden furniture is also made of the same material as the system cabinets to provide flexibility and at the same time consistency and harmonization.
PRODUCTION OR REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY (AND MATERIALS)	Materials for this project include dark wood grain system cabinet panels, stone plastic composite flooring, and moru glass sliding doors. The 20+ year-old apartment has outdated white wood trims, and the designer used a lot of black to add a modern touch. Dark-colored cabinets and floors show the calmness. The large wooden floors also add a sense of grandeur. Light-colored walls add softness and harmony to the space.
SPECIFICATIONS / DIMENSIONS / PACKAGE / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES	The site is a total of 148.7 square meters old apartment with three rooms, a living room, and a dining room. The installation of sockets in the kitchen island and cabinets provides convenience and flexibility. Almost every facade of the space has outlets for appliances. A wall serves as storage, with a hidden column that is aligned with the cabinets and covered by a door panel. This plan makes the most effective use of space and at the same time creates a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing visual effect.
CHALLENGE	The walls of the TV wall in the master bedroom are covered with artistic paint. Due to the manual application of paint, the finish varies slightly from one application to the next, making it difficult to meet the client’s expectations as there is no definite finish to refer to. The master bedroom has a beam across the whole room. Due to Feng Shui considerations, there were limitations in the design. To prevent the beam from feeling too heavy, the designer used plastic to create a mirror-like reflection effect on the façade and avoided the danger of falling or breaking glass.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION／FUNCTION	The curtains, lights, projector, and stereo in the daughter’s bedroom can be controlled on the phone. The bedroom also has a hidden cabinet. Technology enables convenience while maintaining privacy. For a more immersive movie-watching experience, the designer installed a soundproof door and replaced the threshold with a drop bar. When planning the flooring and carpeting next to the door, the designer avoided any subsequent problems with opening the door, so that the client could enjoy their time.
FORM	“The designer’s job is to materialize the occupant’s dream home.” Every design and match is made with the participation of the client. There is nothing more intimate and warm than living in a home that one has planned himself or herself, and it also creates a close connection between the building and its occupants. In the private area, apart from the client’s and daughter’s bedroom, there is also a shared dressing room. The daughter’s bedroom has movie equipment and technological RGB lighting. All these areas can be a place for family bonding. The double-sided natural light walkway and open plan allow natural light to illuminate the interior. The light reveals a strong modern style in the dark-colored furniture, while the light-colored walls show the tranquility and harmony of the home, and finally the floor. The depth of field is achieved by matching the shades of colors in different areas. Seemingly conflicting configurations echo each other in a skillful mix and match, finally achieving a perfect balance.
RESEARCH ABSTRACT	The site is an old apartment of more than 20 years. The name “Sparkling” comes from the sequence of the cabinets and the colors that make up the golden light of life. The natural light is calm and soft, showing a restrained beauty. The project emphasizes the lighting. The walkway, which is naturally lit from both sides, introduces sunlight. The open plan does not block the light to minimize the sense of oppression. The dark cabinet is the largest volume in the social area, displaying the client’s sneaker collection. The social area becomes a modern showroom. The color of the high-pressure laminates eliminates the rigidity of the area and makes the house feel more “homey”. The look of an ideal home is constantly changing. Originally, the client wanted to have a larger area for drying clothes, but halfway through the project, he decided to make the kitchen the main focus. With the designer’s modifications, the project came close to the client’s ideal with a spacious kitchen.

IMPACT /SUSTAINABILITY

The project emphasizes lighting. The designer took an open plan to maximize natural lighting. During the daytime, even if the lights are not turned on, the room is still bright and thus achieves energy-saving. For the ceiling, the designer chose to raise part of it to minimize compression and facilitate lighting. Considering the maintenance in the next 15 to 20 years, to add cabinets or equipment, the designer reserved maintenance holes and plugs to minimize the maintenance materials and the negative impact on the environment. The client can also purchase additional appliances and furniture without affecting the décor. From a long-term perspective, the designer planned easy-to-find pipelines that do not affect the circulation, so that the design can maintain its benefits in the long run. If the client needs to change the layout, it can be done easily.