La River Gauche: A Poetic Blend of Modern and Vintage Elements

Award-Winning Residential House Design by Ming-Chuan Tai

Ming-Chuan Tai's design journey began with a pathway connecting the entryway and the public area, paved with elegant tiles that enchant people with vintage allurements. The dining table, which also functions as a desk, is consistently adjoined to the TV wall. These two pieces of furniture implicitly border the living and study rooms, defining the essential indoor spaces.

What sets "La River Gauche" apart is its synthesis of modern and vintage elements. By delineating different space textures and consolidating light fixtures and indoor flora arts, the design demonstrates appearances that reconcile humanity and nature. The whimsy iron pendant lights, decorated between the wooden ceiling beam and dining table, are ornamented with exotic plants. Together with the lighting, they spectacularly highlight the living room and the wooden world map in the study room.

The design was realized in a space of 99 square meters. The solid woods broadly decorated in the public area expose specific wooden colors and textures. The old woods and reclaimed Burma teaks, refined in delicate procedures, present exquisite craftsmanship and genuine wooden textures, manifesting stereoscopic and intriguing attractions.

The project, completed in May 2017 in New Taipei City, Taiwan, faced several challenges. The exposed ceiling embellished with lotus plasters and iron pieces, as well as soft indirect illuminations, infuse the coarse and vintage space with a sense of elegant characteristic. The combinations of LOFT styles, retro elements, and flora arts evolved into the poetic and artistic aesthetics residence.

The design's excellence was recognized with the Silver A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2019. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.