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Blue and Glue

Kaohsiung city, Taiwan | 2016


A Boundless Space of Joy and Delectable Delights

盛裝歡笑與美味的無界限空間

有了孩子後,所有城市中的咖啡店、小酒館,便不再是年輕夫妻恣意流連的場所,但升格為爸媽的他們,依舊渴望有個除了能夠聽見孩子歡笑,同時也能夠如往常享受雅痞生活的居所。高雄Lucas與Kelly家,便是在照料孩子與約會的情境之間,對於生活的平衡詮釋。

 

屬於家人的美好風景

Lucas與Kelly是對熱愛烹飪的伴侶,兩人於國外旅行而結識,如今成家,擁有一雙可愛的女兒,並決定定居高雄。由於孩子們尚未進入學齡,設計之前,夫妻提出了開放式廚房的需求,希望在烹飪時,也能夠同步掌握孩子於客廳的動態,並且將客廳打造為專屬孩子的天地。客廳採用了懶骨頭形式的沙發,以圓几等較低尺度的家具,使空間視覺更為通透,而客廳天花板則以木隔柵做為簡約而和諧的細部區隔,當孩子漸長,木格柵下方的空間,提供有如小圖書室的閱讀空間。此外,客廳窗景為一家人勾勒出生活的輪廓,亦為無界限空間的設計重點;當每個人一回到家,視線便會不由自主落在大面窗引入的風景,窗邊所打造的舒適臥榻,讓Lucas總可在此處欣賞城市的晴雨天光,而Kelly也總能抱著電腦倚坐,伴隨一杯咖啡享受午後的書寫時光。

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For young married couples with kids, the downtown cafes and bistros they used to frequent often become no-go zones. But for this pair, who were just beginning to experience the travails of parenthood, the desire for a habitat where their children’s laughter and their beloved yuppie lifestyle may coexist was still strong. Lucas and Kelly’s house in Kaohsiung exemplifies the perfect balance between child-rearing and romantic intimacy.

 

The Beauty of a Family-Oriented Lifestyle

Lucas and Kelly are both passionate about cooking; the couple met while travelling overseas. Now, married with two adorable daughters, they decided to settle down in Kaohsiung. The kids are still pre-school age, which was why at the initial stages of design conception, the couple requested an open kitchen so they could have a full view of the kids’ living room activities while making meals in the kitchen. The living room, which serves as their children’s designated play space, is furnished with lazybones style sofas and furniture items with reduced heights such as low, round coffee tables to give the overall vision more of permeability. Wooden grid paneling on the ceiling serve as simple, harmoniously detailed spatial partition. When the children grow older, the space below the partition will provide them with a library- like reading space. The windows that frame and reflect the everyday lifestyle of this happy family are also a main feature of this extended spatial design. Each time a family member steps into the home, their line of sight will automatically rest upon the pleasing landscape afforded by the large, expansive window. The comfortable built-in window seat means that Lucas can lounge a little while enjoying a view of the city, rain or shine, while Kelly may also tuck into the cozy space with her computer and enjoy a leisurely afternoon of writing and home-brewed coffee.

 

Building a Blissful Home Through Cooking and Dining

]The kitchen and dining rooms are undoubtedly the heart and soul of the entire household. Both being passionate cooks, the couple often prepares family meals side by side. Based on their personalities, we employed a subtle, modern contemporary style in our design of the kitchen island and back wall, paving them with black mosaic tiles to color-coordinate with the grey ceilings of fair-faced concrete coating, all of which exude a sense of wintry coolness. Tall sky-blue wood grain cabinets were inserted to match the concrete surface Scandinavian chandelier and imbue the space with a little warmth. The extended wooden table is reminiscent of a stretch of canvas that quietly complements the vibrant colors of each delectable dish. Both kitchen and dining are structured with a variety of materials in gradations of blue that create a strong sense of spatial dynamic. For instance, the kitchen door that leads to the balcony is made out of a perforated board from which S-shaped hooks can be hung to accommodate kitchenware display. The perforation serves as both ventilation and storage, a design that is at the same time practical and aesthetically pleasing.

餐廚構築美味生活

廚房與餐廳,無疑是這個家的一大重頭戲。

熱愛料理的男女主人,兩人時常一起做菜,依照業主性格,我們發想了摩登而內斂的現代風格。黑色馬賽克磁磚鋪排的中島與廚房背牆,伴隨樂土施作的灰色天花板,帶點冷調與酷勁,在植入天空藍木紋板打造的高櫃之後,搭配幾盞水泥質感的北歐吊燈,便提升了此處的暖度;一張木質大長桌的存在,則是猶如展開的畫布,低調襯起每道料理的色彩。

餐廚運用以藍色為主調的各異質材,書寫空間層次,譬如,廚房通往陽台的門,是可掛起S勾展示廚房用具的沖孔板,其孔洞兼具通風、收納效果,提升美感與實用性。

 

A Secret Base for Creative Activities

To help the children cultivate their creativity, we create secret hide-outs across the home so the kids could engage in creative projects in freedom. These include the Lego painting in the foyer, which encourages the children to try their hand at collage and enhances their sensitivity toward color. In the living room we also set up a wall of blackboard, on which we drew cute cartoon characters that attract their attention and inspire them to draw and doodle. The children’s room, instead of the usual pink chosen by most parents to satisfy their young daughters, features doors and cabinets painted in vibrant, neutral colors of blue, green and yellow, shades that work perfectly with the muted grey of the concrete walls. The space is fun, colorful and at the same time calming and serene. Inside the wardrobe are specially-shaped drawers and shelves that give the space interesting visual effects. These designs not only satisfy all the storage needs at different phases of the children’s lives, but also give them the opportunity to express themselves via the arrangements of their personal belongings. As they grow older, this tiny castle will also transform into a space that fully reflects the styles and personalities of its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Lucas and Kelly, as we can fully imagine, will still be in the kitchen late at night, busy putting together a feast of wine and favorite snacks, one of the most beautiful sights of a perfect family home.

隱藏式的創意基地

為了培養孩子的創造力,我們在家的各處,打造可讓孩子創作的秘密基地,譬如玄關的樂高作畫,讓小朋友可動手拼貼,提高對色彩的敏感度,客廳也有一道黑板牆,總繪有可愛的卡通人物對孩子招手,也激發孩子們隨手塗鴉的興致。

至於小孩房,有別於一般家長會滿足小女孩的粉紅色,我們以鮮明而中性的藍、綠、黃色調,運用於房門、櫃體,並搭配水泥牆面的灰,打造多彩卻令人感到安定的空間,至於衣櫃櫃面的趣味造型層架,賦予空間令人玩味的視覺變化,除了滿足孩子不同階段的收納需求之外,也藉由物件的擺放,讓孩子訴說自己的故事。

隨著她們長大,這個小小城堡,將會長成屬於她們的模樣,而我們不難想像,那時Lucas與Kelly,依然會在廚房中島,於深夜一起忙著張羅紅酒與宵夜的美好景象。