L Apartment: blind box in Wonderland

Opening
Blind box, a popular trend among young people, is recently gradually permeating into our life. Giving the surprise and joy we receive when the moment we open the box, no one can refuse that. It inevitably recalls the innocence and childlike simplicity deep down inside.

The owner of the apartment are big fans of "blind box". Hundreds of dolls and figures are collected. As a couple of post-90s designers engaged in the Internet industry, they have very good taste and clear design requirements. Besides the enthusiasm about dolls, all kinds of exquisite cups, tea sets and ornaments are elaborately decorated in their house. 

We would love to cherish the couple’s passion for life, and through our design, creating a home full of surprise, with the experience like opening the blind box.

Surprise in layout: free flowing plan
The apartment, locates in the 1990s community of Pudong(Shanghai), is about to be renovated. The existing interior steps naturally divide the space into two parts: dynamic zone and quiet zone. After demolishing the original enclosed kitchen, a quite open space is achieved, consists of dinning, kitchen and living area. This simple change brings natural light and better ventilation to the center of the house where the couple could enjoy a series of daily activities, like cooking, dinning, working, chatting, reading and meeting friends.

Surprise in experience: the layering of space
The flowing plan brings a freer layout. Furniture and partitions are integrated to avoid a simple and repetitive visual experience. Walking through the space, the various experience comes with the layering of the space.     

The arch partition in the porch blurs the sink and mirror. The reeded glass makes the space come to life.

Cooking area, bar + dinning table and sideboard are the three layers in the open kitchen. The bar and dining table enclose the open kitchen area.

The sideboard as the extension of the kitchen, both functionally and visually diverses the spatial layering.

The fixed desk in the balcony fulfils the host’s wish to company his wife even during the time when he works at home.

Surprise in storage: balance between display and storage
Considering the amount of dolls, how to balance between display and storage is one of the key points of this project. Display function is being highly emphasized by the couple while for a cozy family, enough storage room is quite essential as well.

Every main space is being given at least one display surface. The display function is achieved in the middle part of the cupboard.

Surprise in rest: an innocent bedroom
The bedroom, as the space for rest, is soft and quiet yet still lively. The blind box dolls are placed along the corridor leading to the master bedroom. Walking through it with a wall of dolls, is surly a lovely thing.

Surprise in matching: colors&materials&details
Calm navy blue and warm wood color is chosen as the main theme for the design. Talking about the choice of materiality, exquisite changes of texture is being produced because of the pursuit of light and shadow. Midcentury modern furnitures are freely scattered in the space.

Epilog
Home is the rest place for our soul. We hope our design could help the couple
remove the weariness of adults and return back to the childlike innocence. Once they open the door, a journey in wonderland awaits.