Recently, Liu Jinrui and his team have finished an apartment renovation in the suburban of Shanghai, for a family of parents and their quadruplets. Instead of being located on the central area of Shanghai, their home lies in suburban areas where public service facilities aren’t convenient.
Our home is far away from the metro station, and it takes a long way to get to the Huangpu River. In Shanghai, a super big city, our home turns out to be so small, surrounded by numerous farmhouses.
Chief designer：Liu Jinrui
Design Team：Feng Qiong, Guo Lan, Tang Xuan
Project Manager：Guo Lan
Construction Drawing：Lai Wuyi
Cartoon: Yang Ying
Photograph: Yang pengcheng
Owner: Program ‘Life Re-maker’ on Dragon TV
Site: Shanghai Minhang
Design：2017.04.21-2017.04.23
Construction：2017.04.25-2017.05.22
Program ‘Life Re-maker’ in Dragon TV, there is a renovation project in 7th phase of first season. The project is located in a resettlement community on Kaixin Road. This 60㎡ apartment is an ordinary one including one living room and two bedrooms. However, a special family as a renter makes the apartment different. Ten years ago, Yang Chunyan and his husband Yu Wanli had a daughter with congenital diseases, which allowed them to get permit to having a second baby. Unexpectedly, they delivered quadruplets, only one chance in 7.5 million. Afterward, the quadruplets have grown up under the kind help of Shanghai citizens. Out of gratitude, the couple named their quadruplets after ‘Oriental Pearl’.
A yellow track, like a ribbon, flows through each isolated room, dispelling loneliness and connecting the family of seven closely to each other. The Huangpu-river-shaped track has something to do with the names of quadruplets, ’Oriental Pearl’. The track will witness the growth of quadruplets, just like the Huangpu river flows around the Oriental Pearl Tower, which implies the close connection between the family and Shanghai city.
Ten years later, the quadruplets have grown up. But because of the oppression of life, this family of seven can only afford to living in a cramped two-bedroom unit in the suburban of Shanghai. The seven have been in this apartment keeping a roughcast one, for 8 years. Bad financial situation directly leads to the empty and unfurnished home. In a lack of storage place, their living goods are discarded all around. The kitchen and bathroom are too small to meet the demand of a family of seven. Moreover, the dining room cannot hold all the family members. In order to arrange a bigger space for their children, the parents choose the secondary bedroom which is northbound and only 8 ㎡. Even though, every two kids still need to share a bed. When vacation comes, their big sister from old home has no choice but to sleep in the living room.
The landlord won’t allow them to change the layout of rooms, thus renovation cannot be a big move. Conducted by an architect instead of an interior designer, this renovation has a clear main idea from the very beginning, ‘design as a whole’. Not to mind a single bed or cabinet, the main purpose is the pursuit of fluency of space and transparency of sight to tight the rooms together. Meanwhile, some interesting space designs are everywhere.
The design compresses and even hides rarely-used space in order to enlarge public space.
The kitchen and bathroom are designed under precise measurements so that more space can be created to meet daily utilization. Vertical space is fully used by bunk beds giving everyone private space.
After meeting the basic demand of living, the designer creates enjoyment and a sense of ceremony by visual guidance and various scales. The north-south track does not only brings breeze but also connects all the rooms together.
What’s more, the designer tries to utilize some unique furniture to help quadruplets to form good habits day after day, alleviating the dependence on parents.
The tree-hole-shaped niche is a hallstand and meanwhile a footstool. The cartoon image within kids’ sights helps them to get ready for going out. The corridor squeezed by niche shows great directivity. A few steps forward, the track perpendicular to the line of sight enlightens roomy living room.
The idea of the parent-child kitchen is finally done with tiny furniture: water channel 260mm in width (general set 450mm), table board 400mm in width (general set 600mm). The designer well utilizes octagon space to shape a cutting plate (general set rectangle). The kitchen renovated creates more space and time for parents and children to get along with.
The bathroom is divided into two pieces with three sets of mini-sized counter basins, two toilets, two sets of shower nozzles and a bathtub. It is though small but perfectly equipped, which solves the problem of multi-users at peak hour. Besides, parents can take a bath to remove fatigue after a working day.
To reduce the noise made by quadruplets, the designer puts PVC, carpets and cobblestone-shaped pillows. Cute patterns are carved on the door of the narrow cabinet, trying to develop quadruplets a good habit of storage.
Children can write and draw on the black wall beside the bathroom to convey love to their father who is occupied by the business during the daytime.
Folding table is convenient to spare a place in the living room for children to play. The maps of Shanghai and Xuzhou, hanging on the wall, show their homesickness. Separating space vertically ensures everyone’s independent field of sleep, activity, and study. Movable cabinet and folding bed release the occupation of parents’ bed. PVC curtain well protects the privacy of two rooms.
On horizontal direction, space is divided into three parts sleep, activity and study, interacted and independent. Under the bunk bed, there is a third bed for the union of big sister. The wall can be written extends the length of the desk, releasing children’s natural instincts.
Technical gauze windows preventing dust and pollen overcome the fear to open windows.
Tomato, pepper, strawberry, mint, wheatgrass, celery and other plants are planted in a three-dimensional botanic garden.
The quadruplets grow in a hardworking and optimistic family, and parents’ selfless love nourishes their children’s childhood. Happiness and freedom are keywords of a joyful childhood. Mild and interesting space gives children more possibility of exploring and creates lovable living status. It is where the best part of designing lies in.
What makes desert beauty is a well-hidden somewhere. Little Prince
