Nuanced Light

The pattern of repetitive geometry on wall decoration and light fixtures takes cues from the reductive decoration motif of New York architecture in the 1920s. The metallic luster is inlayed in the large panels of black, white, silver, and grey peripheral frames. The interwoven thinking of western aesthetics and oriental equilibrium lurks underneath the luxury of glaring glamor.



The project transfigured the Art Deco villa of 1920s. It converges the radiant lines and patterns into the order of longitudinal and traversal sections. The planar geometry unfolds into a three-dimensional one. The composition of folding and extension of the lines and planes on ceiling and floor becomes the main element of the surrounding space. Under the seemingly complicated material and patterns, the designer distinguishes the nuanced functionality of each space. The diamond-shaped marble on the porch floor echoes the wall decoration on both sides, unraveling the main theme of the villa—the subdued luxury. The black hexagonal woodblocks with golden rims define the symmetrical configuration of living and dining rooms. The corridor threads through the two places from the porch. The vista is a painting with heavy, rich colors, balancing the lightness of the ubiquitous geometry on the wallpapers. The door frame with reflective dark grey surface further divide the two places. The free-standing wood pilasters behind the couch are also architectural elements.



The materiality and color are subordinate to the intersecting lines, encircling yet not noisy. The lines become simplified Upton entering the bedrooms, accomodating the functionality of storage and sleeping within an ordered framework. The frame-like design of the study-room cupboard doubles as a storage and display shelf. The dark blue of boy’s room is soften by the beige white of girl’s room.