The Art of Brown

The residential project in a sea view neighborhood of Shantou saw the design team's exceptional insight and creativity in reallocating spaces. The original sea view balcony, while preferentially located, used to be constrained in functionality and perceived space, and was also required to serve essential living functions such as laundry and storage. The designers adeptly adapted and optimized this setting by relocating daily necessities to a small balcony on the opposite side of the residence. The effort to remove space-occupying utilities in turn freed up spaces for the sea view balcony. They also decided to open up the wall partition connecting the sea view balcony to the kids’ bedroom, a move that not only merges spaces, but also extends the spaces visually and sensorily. As a result, there is a marked increase in the view and usable area of the sea view balcony, giving inhabitants an unobstructed sight of the sea. Additionally, the multi-purpose room previously connected to the living room has been transformed into a wide-open bar area, offering the owner a space to enjoy a drink and chat with friends while taking in the impressive sea view. What’s more, this move significantly enhances the perceived openness and flow in the communal area by connecting the entire guest dining room to the semi-open kitchen, offering us an unobstructed view as far as we can see. It suggests the designer's clever strategy of making every inch of space count to fulfill the living function, particularly in a confined environment, and illustrates how creative thinking can extend both visual and physical space. This case is a testimony to an extraordinary reallocation of spaces and design strategy, and is unquestionably a classic residential design project.