Changsha Shenye Shahecheng Residential Design

The original apartment layout featured a standard north-south oriented vertical living room with a three-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom configuration. Prior to design, a thorough understanding of the owner's profession, lifestyle habits, interests, and family structure enabled a precise consolidation of needs.

The owner is a solo-living post-90s variety show video editor who is passionate about films and reading, with a schedule characterized by late nights out and late mornings in. She desired a home entirely tailored to her personal life, with only occasional short stays for family members and virtually no entertaining of guests. Accordingly, the design retained only two bedrooms and boldly removed most of the load-bearing wall between the original master bedroom and living room. This incorporated the master bedroom's large window into the living room, bringing in abundant natural light while vertically extending the activity space of the originally narrow living area.

To free up an entire wall for a full-height bookcase, the traditional wall-mounted TV was replaced with a mobile television unit, accommodating the owner's extensive collection of books, magazines, and art albums. The former master bedroom space was redivided into an enclosed audiovisual "box" and an open large workstation, fulfilling the needs for quiet solo viewing as well as remote work.

To achieve spatial division without isolation, a full-width wooden decorative overhang was employed on the ceiling behind the sofa, creating a visual demarcation of zones while enhancing the sense of stability and enclosure around the desk area. The harmonious textures of the flooring and wall materials further fostered a relaxed and liberating atmosphere upon returning home. Thus, the conventional living room was transformed into a multifunctional space integrating a library, audiovisual room, study, and comfortable lounging area.

The owner enjoys preparing her own coffee and beverages, so an extended full-length sideboard and tea station cabinet was designed, stretching to the corner of the living room. This not only provided ample countertop space but also ingeniously expanded storage for various tea and coffee utensils and accessories. Mirrors above the countertop enhanced the living room's illumination, while the protruding mirror frames naturally served as small display shelves.