Reviving the Old: The Hongmei 21 Transformation

Minimalist Design Breathes New Life into a 20-year-old Shanghai Residence

Situated in densely populated Shanghai, finding a private house with a garden that embodies a minimalist style can be a daunting task. However, Sun, Chienya & YAYI Interior Design took on this challenge with the Hongmei 21 project, a renovation that breathed new life into a 20-year-old house. The designers aimed to create a modern minimalist style while maximizing the garden landscape and sunlight, achieving a visually seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Hongmei 21 project stands out due to its comprehensive design approach. The renovation encompassed the building structure, facade, garden landscape, and interior design. The house, which had been inhabited by three generations, needed to meet the comfort and practicality requirements of both the elderly and children. The challenge was to realize the homeowners' ideal minimalist style while ensuring the space's practicability and visual aesthetic unity.

The design team employed sustainable design principles, retaining the old house's roof and structure while removing three beams and adding ten vertical ones. The load-bearing column in the living room was moved 1.5m parallel to the garden, allowing for a larger floor-to-ceiling window that maximizes the garden landscape and sunlight indoors. The facade was redesigned using a "BOX" as the design element, transforming the sloping roofs into a balcony and hiding all frames, lights, pipe wells, and drains. This restructuring gave the old house a new, minimalist life.

The renovation project, which started in January 2014 and finished in January 2015, was not without its challenges. The old house's space and building structure were initially unreasonable, presenting a significant hurdle for the designers. Issues such as a fragile structure, exposed pipes, poor daylighting, and limited storage function had to be addressed. The addition of an elevator for the elderly also posed structural and technological challenges.

Despite these challenges, the design team successfully transformed the old house into a minimalist masterpiece. The project's success was recognized with a Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2016, a prestigious accolade granted to outstanding and trendsetting creations that reflect extraordinary excellence and significantly impact the world with their desirable characteristics.

In conclusion, the Hongmei 21 project is a testament to the power of minimalist design and sustainable development. By transforming an old, impractical structure into a modern, functional, and aesthetically pleasing space, Sun, Chienya & YAYI Interior Design have set a new standard for residential renovations in densely populated urban areas.