The Place We Anchor

The Place We Anchor is a residence designed for a family whose life spans continents. The husband, a professor in Shanghai, and his wife, a Kaohsiung native, had long relied on hotels or a small apartment during visits to Taiwan. This project became their first opportunity to create a true home, a place where stepping inside feels like an embrace.

Inspired by the vast summer seas of Kaohsiung, broad flowing arcs became the home’s signature. These curves soften transitions, guide the eye, and carry a calm rhythm throughout the spaces. Natural wood tones, breathable finishes, and low-VOC mineral paints were chosen for their warmth and graceful aging, ensuring the home feels alive even after long absences. Every curve was carefully scaled to feel generous yet harmonious, avoiding visual clutter.

Every detail serves both function and emotion. Curtain tracks are concealed within sculpted ceilings, doors align perfectly flush with walls, and sliding panels are matched in veneer for seamless continuity. Even floor finishes of different systems were color-matched to achieve visual unity. A fully equipped dressing table, requested after design finalization, was discreetly integrated inside the wardrobe with lighting, mirror, and storage, preserving symmetry while adding essential utility.

Adaptability shaped the layout. A raised platform behind the sofa provides generous hidden storage and doubles as a secondary seating tier for gatherings. A concealed partition allows the space to transform instantly into a guest room or play area. Lighting is composed like an emotional score, with indirect illumination tracing curves, warm accents revealing wood grain, and ambient washes enriching spatial depth. A custom dining pendant was selected for its ability to cast cloud-like reflections across the ceiling, turning meals into quiet celebrations.

Above all, this home holds memory as much as it holds people. It anchors a family’s sense of belonging and reminds them, no matter how far they travel, that their place of return is always here.