Encounters of Love

The homeowner couple, long living in Taipei and being hospitable, has bought a residence, on the 23rd floor of a building in a prime zone in Taichung 160 kilometers away from home, for vacation and entertaining relatives and friends. The building is laid out based on accommodation of five-star hotels. An Encounter of Love, where it is possible to feast on the daytime scenery and nighttime city light, is an urban Shangri-La.

The hostess’s photography works embody her core values of selfless giving, while the Qeeboo chandelier on a giraffe-shaped support from Italy stands serene, conveying deep affection, as romantic as the name Giraffe in Love suggests. Love dwells and swells in this residence, symbolizing the homeowner couple’s lasting love and spreading the warmth they are willing to share.

The entryway is deliberately narrowed. Curvy moldings on the ceiling crisscross and overlap like verdant canopy of trees, adding half-concealed fun of exploring a place. Paired with wavy metallic mirrored panels, they present a kaleidoscope of visual fantasia that is so welcoming. At the end of the entryway is a screen vista that serves as a visual twist where the space suddenly widens, presenting a surprising magnificence.

The challenge of constructing An Encounter of Love lies in the rare big beam extending above the living-room sofa to the bar area. However, by means of ingenuity, this structural weakness is addressed, transformed into a visual highlight in the space.

The designer blends the edge and end of the entire beam into the ceiling at an angle that grows increasingly rounder. With projection of artificial light and shadow, an effect of natural light accentuating height differences is achieved, pleasant rather than conspicuous. On the ceiling in the bar area, the fresh-air system exchange and wiring are put away in the lower part of the circle. The gradual gradations of the circle go up to shape like a patio in a cavern. A metal chandelier is outfitted, with its shape as well as light and shadow creating a theater-like feel rather than feeling cramped.