Hitting the Right Note

CA Interior Design chose a warm, neutral palette to highlight the mountain views from this Taipei apartment, while also incorporating references to the clients’ love of music. We spoke with the studio’s director Haochien Cheng to find out more about his team’s approach

Design Anthology: How did you first meet the client?

Haochien Cheng: The client is a very good friend of mine. He promised that when he owned his own home one day, he’d get me to design it. So, when he bought this apartment, he thought of me first.

Can you tell us about him and his lifestyle?

He lives with his partner and they both love music and dance. They practice guitar and yoga at home, and work in the technology and design industries respectively, so they appreciate the value of design and creativity. For their new apartment, they wanted a minimalist space with ample storage space.

What’s unique about the building and the location?

The building is located near one of Taipei’s mountains and the bedroom offers views out onto the surrounding nature. As the seasons change so will these views, so we consider the bedroom window to be more like a painting that changes with the seasons.

What design references did you try to incorporate into the space?

We wanted to incorporate musical element in the design details; for example, the cabinet handles resemble tuning knobs. We chose warm wood for the cabinets and flooring to complement the light grey walls, with black details in the pendant light, handles, shelves and clothing rail. We used round tables in the dining room to soften the spatial boundaries.

Please tell us a little about the material choices for the space.

When designing small spaces, we like to use light colours for the main palette earth-toned paint for larger walls. Here we used wood and other textured materials to create warmth in the space and reflect the surrounding mountain scenery, so that the interior and exterior are naturally integrated.

Images / Rex Chu, OS Studio