Preface to the Elegance of the Hall: Oriental Etiquette and the Spatial Translation of Modern Life
"When the energy is moved, the body is nourished." The aura of a space, without any obvious form, nourishes the psyche of the occupants.
When building a modern Chinese-style home, the hall is the axis of family life, and its layout has long gone beyond simple functional divisions to pursue a harmony of "rituals" and "order".
We refer to the sense of hierarchy of the "three-entry courtyard" in traditional architecture. In the open space, we make clever use of screens, shelves, or floor-to-ceiling covers to create partitions that complement each other.
This move is not to close off, but to create visual pauses and transitions, just like the "blank space" in Chinese paintings, giving the space a sense of breathing and rhythm.
The key point is to create an artistic conception with a deep atmosphere like "how deep is the courtyard" while ensuring smooth and unimpeded movement, so that when carrying out reception activities and leisurely conversations between family members, each can obtain a suitable atmosphere, maintaining orderliness without losing the sense of warmth.
The craftsmanship of materials: the dialogue between the beauty of wood and the natural texture
In modern design, there is extreme respect and application of the authenticity of materials, and this reflection comes from the natural concept advocated by traditional Chinese aesthetics.
The warm and solemn qualities of North American black walnut, the gorgeous texture of Burmese rosewood, and the tea table transformed from an old elm door panel all bear the mark of time, thus setting the tone of calmness in the space.
We adhere to a belief that "hard furnishings are the bones and soft furnishings are the soul". The floor can be paved with matte stone with a soft color, or hand-grained wood floors, so as to achieve a warm echo with the wooden furniture.
There is no need to make the walls in the space too complicated. You only need to choose a touch of azure from the porcelain of the Song Dynasty, or the azure blue shown in the blue and white flowers of the Ming Dynasty, and perform a partial color jump treatment. In this way, the space can be brightened in an instant, as if the key strokes were precisely placed on the plain silk.
More importantly, natural light needs to be introduced so that light and shadow slowly flow on the texture of the wood. This is the vitality that cannot be replaced by any artificial lighting.
Moderate display: the resonance between the philosophy of utensils and the realm of blank space
Utensils with the function of carrying principles, every furnishing item in a Chinese-style home should be a condensed result of aesthetics and a place of sustenance for inner thoughts.
In terms of soft furnishing matching, what we advocate is the principle of "the essence lies in the appropriateness", abandoning piles and pursuing the tension of white space.
On a simple Ming-style raised-head desk, the display should not be overcrowded. Just a single Lingbi stone, two or three well-proportioned plum blossoms, or a Guanyin statue made of Dehua white porcelain can create a small world with a unique atmosphere.
In terms of decorative elements, the focus is on the contrast between reality and reality: there is an abstract ink work created by a contemporary artist, which is placed together with a traditional armchair, allowing the old and the new to blend with each other, creating a unique sense of time and space.
For the selection of fabrics, it is particularly important. Natural fabrics such as linen, silk, and cotton sateen are displayed in low-saturation colors such as mugwort green, autumn fragrance, lotus root, etc. Their soft texture can neutralize the coldness of hardwood furniture, thereby injecting a gentle residential warmth into the space.
Situation is created by the heart: from visual aesthetics to the sublimation of the artistic conception of oriental habitation
The highest realm of Chinese design lies in the creation of " artistic conception ".
This is not only about vision, but also a comprehensive care of the five senses.
In a remote corner of the space, you can plant nandina or asparagus to bring greenery indoors. You can also set up a small exquisite dry landscape courtyard, using sand to replace water and stones to replace mountains, showing a vast world in a small place.
The integration of incense and tea ceremony is the key to enhancing the charm of the space.
Choose a corner to set up a tea banquet, light a furnace of agarwood, and as the tea fragrance fills the air, the space will gain warmth and soul.
The design of light and shadow is also the source of artistic conception. It refers to the "framed scenery" technique used in traditional gardens to introduce the changes of the four seasons and the skylight and cloud shadows outside the window into the interior. It also uses the "borrowed scenery" technique of traditional gardens to let the residence breathe together with nature.
In the end, all these creations go back to "people", and the spiritual core of Eastern aesthetics should be placed comfortably in modern life to achieve the pinnacle of living value that is both physical and mental.
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