A compact yet spacious apartment in Taipei, Taiwan, is an oasis of calm.
Fu De Street in Taipei is a mature neighbourhood, and this home is located on the first floor of a narrow house completed in 1968 in this bustling area.
Fude Street, Taipei City
As with many urban homes built during this period, the unit was traditionally partitioned, meaning the rooms near the centre were dank and dark with poor air circulation. Its entrance was also close to the public stairs, causing safety concerns.
Who Lives Here: A couple and their young child
Home: Single-story residence with four bedrooms
Size: 1,066 sq ft (99 sqm)
Interior Designers: SIRUI Interior Design x DAWOOD Interior Design
Removed All Partitions
The interior designers observed that the distance between this long, narrow home’s front and rear ends was sufficient to allow natural light to enter the interior, so why not encourage the light to come into the house?
To facilitate this, the designers removed the original partitions.
Instead, they added a courtyard at the bottom of the corridor, allowing anyone in the living room, master bedroom, and bathroom to enjoy the greenery in the courtyard.
Soothing hues and spots of greenery add to the serene feel.
Contrasting colours help to visually carve out different zones in the home.
Entrance Foyer
Removing partitions allowed the interior space to become expansive. This made the entrance retract inward and create a small foyer. This transitional passage solves the initial concern of the front door being too close to the public stairs.
The designers also took the opportunity to add to the functionality of this area by building built-in cabinets for storage and adding a charming tile pattern on the floor.
Front & Back of House
Moving into the home proper, the designers defined the public and private areas now that the original partitions were gone.
The front part of the house is dedicated to spaces where the residents can spend time with each other and guests, while the rear comprises the master bedroom, the kid’s room, the nanny’s room and a guest room.
Living & Dining Area
An open-plan layout was favoured in the public area, so the living, dining and kitchen boundaries were blurred.
This not only allowed the limited space to feel more spacious, a clear line of sight throughout further gifts a view of the courtyard, as mentioned earlier, where a lush plant was placed to soften the space.
The public area uses a flexible crosswalk, allowing the dining table, sofa, and coffee table to define the purpose of the space. This also has the added advantage of allowing those who cook to communicate with relatives who dine and friends in the living room.
Kitchen Island with Stove
To further facilitate this, the solid surface kitchen island with its built-in induction cooker is placed side by side with the shorter end of the crafted dining table. Built-ins were designed to surround the space for storage that can stay neatly out of sight, with a slim counter area for the coffee machine.
A large semi-translucent glass window lets natural light into the bathroom.
Laundry Room
Just off the kitchen and dining is a small study and laundry area, which could potentially make the internal space appear cramped. The door and walls were replaced with translucent material to avoid this while allowing more natural light to infuse the space.
The utility area is concealed behind a sliding fluted glass panel door.
Morandi Colour Palette
A Morandi colour palette permeates the entire home, colouring the walls and soft furnishings by Good Design, the soft tones expanding every space and room further.
This is juxtaposed against a stronger Steel Blue used in the kitchen built-ins providing a handsome but pleasing contrast.
In addition, the natural feeling of oak was applied on the flooring throughout the home, although this was realised in vinyl to feel comfortable underfoot and easy maintenance.
Indeed the softness of the shades was a deliberate choice. This fluid palette shifts in in the light and shade changes that occur throughout the four seasons, allowing those who use the space to immerse themselves in nature, greenery, and life.
Photography by Su Dongshan