blank canvas

HAO Design had two main requests when hired by the Hsu family to design their new apartment in Pingtung City, Taiwan. The first was that the entire 165 square meter plan encompass the expansive park views outside the wide windows; the second, that every room be tailor made to suit each of the four family member’s needs and stylistic desires. Completed in 2016, Scenic Ballade – as is the project’s illustrative title – has fully met hit its mark.

Upon entering through the black lacquered entry, guests and residents are visually pulled through the length of the open plan space by the bright sunlight streaming in over the tree tops of the park below. To enhance the vista, the designers arched the frame above the window seat before the living area with a corniced, white paneling that matches the walls. In fact, white is the primary backdrop throughout, from the bleached Spanish wood grain floor, to the chandelier strung ceiling. This “blank” canvas is punctuated by furniture in cool bolts of gray, black and chrome featuring rounded angles, such as the light gray circular carpet in front of the black leather sofa, as well as the marble-columned and chrome-legged dining table.