A Woodwork Enthusiast’s Home in Xiamen, China by ZMY Design.

A woodwork enthusiast’s home by ZMY Design stands as a quiet but radical redefinition of domestic space. The simplicity of the interior is dramatic in its emptiness – the usual dotting of colour, personal collections and memorabilia collated over years of experience seen in the typical home, is nowhere in sight. Instead, the largely empty space dominated by a natural tone encourages introspective thought, as designers measure the success of their project by its ability to accommodate the mind. Designers state that “the overall space is characterized by concise and simplistic design languages not restricted by styles or labels. It’s a physically static place where the occupants can totally relax”.

The 295 square metre home is located in an abandoned cement factory area in Xiamen, Fujian, China, where the owner picked an existing three-story building to create his minimalist home. There is a subtly in each design decision that achieves a delicate equilibrium, where angles and grilles of window openings, proportions and material choice become the key defining elements in the space rather than a collection of decorative furnishings.

The main cylindrical structure of the original building has been retained, transformed into a dining room and parlour, the spaces separated by a passageway bookending slight shifts in the ceiling and floor height. The parlour features a collection of layered textures, the oak wood floor sitting underneath the original rough concrete ceiling. Walls are finished with a mix of shell power and earth, as an opportunity to bring natural elements into the design is taken.

The home becomes a shell from which its occupants experience a heightened connection with the world around them. Curated views bring the outside condition into the interior space while filtering sunlight – allowing occupants to watch as warm yellow light slowly sweeps across the room. In this moment of thoughtful appreciation for the world’s simple pleasures, the designer’s intent is realised, to create a home which “neither envisions the future nor summarises the past, but its interior design fitting into current life.”

[Images courtesy of ZMY Design. Photography by Wu Yongchang.]