_  Residence W  

Project Info

Program - Residential / Apartment
Location - Qinpu Taoyuan, Taiwan
Area - 1,370 sqft. / 130 m2
Design Firm - fws_work
Lead Designer - Yu-Hsiang Fu
Designer - Yi-En Lee
Construction - ArchinSpaceLab
Photography - Suiyu Studio


FWS_work has brought a sense of tranquility to an apartment in a fast-developed city, Qinpu in Taiwan. The owner is an airline pilot, eager to have a getaway home from his work, which requires constantly traveling with short stays.

The project focuses on creating a light-filled open space with a neutral palette of tactile materials to form the sensory warmth and relaxation, while highlighting the owner’s passion for cooking and whiskey testing with a contrasting, moody kitchen bar. The selective materials and joinery details evoke the owner’s memories of childhood country home as well as Mediterranean retreats during travels.

“ The apartment was intended as an antidote to city life, with its entry, kitchen, reading, dining and living areas all combined into one bright, calm space. ”

Dezeen Awards 2021 

Floor Plan
Material Board

Contrasting with the laid-back feeling of the overall neutral palette, the black stained wood millwork, encaustic ceramic wall tiles, leather handles and stoned countertop shape the moody kitchen and extended bar counter. The darkness of the kitchen and bar counter fosters a pure state of immersion, that allows Wang to dive into his passions on cooking and whisky tasting. The warm LED lighting penetrates through the rattan cabinet door, accompanied with the reflections of glasses and tableware behind to enrich the backdrop of the dining moments.

To respond to owner’s desire for relaxation, fws_work designs with tactile materials such as plaster and oak wood as the essential backdrop, accompanied with woven cane, ribbed glass, encaustic ceramic tiles and linen furnishings to form the sensory warmth. In addition, the refined craftsmanship is revealed in the consistent millwork details throughout. The selective material palette and joinery details evoke Wang’s memories of the country home in childhood as well as Mediterranean retreats during travels.

 


Connecting the open area with bedrooms and a multi-functional room, the transitional hallway is wrapped with oak wood panels and plaster walls. The partial partition wall was replaced by layers of woven cane panels and ribbed glass to bring the sunlight into the hallway, while providing privacy and sound insulation for the room. The lined-up joinery from walls to the ceiling creates depth and dimension when the light shines on. In addition, the circular wall light on the end echoes to the circular mirror in the entry, and balances with the straight-lined design language throughout the house.

In addition to the neutral palette consistent with the open area, the deep teal color blurs the boundary between the upper wall and the ceiling, and brings a sense of serenity into the bedroom for rest after a long day.