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Late Works
By : Chengang Wang
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories : Residence / Residential Space ≤ 1,600 sq. ft. (≤ 150 sq.m.) : Bronze Certification
This project is located in the Huguang Shanse community in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, with a building age of 10 + years. Construction commenced in September 2021 and was fully completed in May 2023. The building area is 150 ㎡. Main materials used: tiles, stone, veneer, wood customization, interior wall paint, tiles, finished furniture, sanitary ware, etc.
The designer for this case was the first party, and from their own perspective, they took the lead on both the design, construction, and materials selection, from the perspective of the first party. Finally, although this case is highly faithful to its original plan, we are very touched.
The title of this case is The Late Work, which derives its meaning from multiple levels. One reason is that the client (the designer) was born in the 1990s, but a relatively small minority of people who are currently aged and capable of buying a 150-square-meter residential property in the city where the designer is located, and designing and decorating it with full financing, are actually born in the 1990s. This is due to the designer’s accidental discovery of opportunities in other fields at work and its success, which has contributed to the current case. Second, the design and construction stages coincided with a nationwide epidemic that resulted in an extended implementation timeline from 2021 to 2023. The third reason is that due to the extended landing time, there are personnel changes and brand changes at various stages (such as staff changes leading to implementation errors by the material selection team), which can lead to a lack of fidelity to the original plan or errors in the finished product, resulting in delays in the completion of the project. Fourthly, because designers were involved as more than the « customer » during the project’s implementation and also noticed many unexpected issues from the perspective of the »supplier », what you see now is a 2021 design work that was completed in 2023.
Coming back to the point, the designer of this project (also known as the first party) took a full snapshot of the previous plans that they have worked on and combined them with the prevailing design and industry trends at the time, as well as their own usage or potential usage. It was a difficult process to design this project. Regarding color, only black, white, gray and wood are used for the space, while achieving maximum understanding of humans and nature through a skin-level (i. e. subjective visual) design. Due to the fixed spatial structure and limited renovation space, the desired functions and fit to the original household are closely aligned, resulting in minimal changes to the space, which is highly customized and user-friendly. In terms of lighting, the goal is to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions, and restore natural conditions, using a simple, natural approach to minimize top surface styling and light pollution, and using intelligent lighting to achieve lighting requirements that are bright and dimmable, as well as meeting lighting needs when needed. The overall design style has no obvious symbols, and is more concise, brisk, and natural, giving a relaxed, purposeless home-like feeling.
The overall plan has had a subtle impact on the design level during the nearly two years of implementation and restoration. It can be described as design as it moves through construction. However, for many designers, even if they have worked on thousands of cases, it is still better to use their own house. Therefore, during the design process of their own home, they truly understand that there are no two identical leaves in the world.
Collaboration
