By sunny 
In the realm of residential design, the staggered space of Chinese Style Homes has always been a challenging proposition. Designers are constantly exploring how to balance function and aesthetics in a staggered structure, and how to make areas of different heights independent and coherent with each other, forming a smooth line of life.
Today, we are going to share an ingenious case study of Chinese-style residential split-level design, which not only perfectly answers these problems, but also weaves a three-dimensional living picture of leisure, work and entertainment with the design philosophy of ‘deconstructing tradition’.
Analysis of the original house type
The strengths of the original Chinese house are the private one-staircase-one-family layout and the spacious mezzanine structure, which provide a wealth of design possibilities.
However, its shortcomings are obvious: the 2.49-metre wide dining and kitchen area is blocked by a staircase, which makes the space seem closed; the living room is open but needs to take into account the piano arrangement, storage needs and the function of the public area; the north balcony is affected by the noise and has a low utilisation rate; and the functional configurations of the master bedroom and the elders’ room are in urgent need of optimisation.
Design Concept and Core
In response to these challenges, the designers proposed the three core design concepts of ‘reshaping the migratory flow’, ‘expanding the vertical space’ and ‘penetrating the ancient Chinese style’. Starting from the lift room, the designer started to plan the storage system of the whole house, and through the innovative design of semi-open kitchen, double-structure staircase, and functional reconstruction of the balcony, every corner of the house is revitalised with the vitality of life.
Part 1: Relaxed Living Room – Breaking Boundaries, Constructing Flowing Art
The hostess has a deep love for music, so the designer locked the keyword of the living room as ‘relaxation’. The open layout creates a lazy, relaxed atmosphere, while reserving space for musical instruments, so that music and life are perfectly integrated.
Stepping into the living room, the first thing that catches the eye is the overall storage area that breaks the confinement of traditional walls. The combination of hanging cabinets and sliding doors behind the sofa builds an overhead family storage system, which combines hiding and revealing to meet different storage needs and greatly improves the efficiency of daily life.
The brown tree tumour texture cabinet and black leather Barcelona sofa form a sharp collision in material, and the retro charm is full. The bronze tone of the Tini antique side table injects a sense of dynamism into this corner, making it leap out of a unique artistic charm in the retro rhythm.
On the other side of the living room, the combination of a light niche and a hanging desktop creates a sophisticated workspace. The geometric blocks made of dots and lines are intertwined to add an aesthetic of order to the home. At the bar, the columns are used as a dividing point to strike a balance between modernity and vintage. When the sunlight falls freely, the swing in the corner of the balcony swings gently, awakening beautiful childhood memories. Here, the tension of urban life quietly dissolves and the mind can relax.
Separate design in the living room
In the design of the living room, the concept of split design is cleverly used. Through the combination of hanging cabinets and sliding doors, the storage area and leisure area are effectively separated, which not only ensures the neatness and order of the space, but also meets the different needs of use. At the same time, the work area and leisure area are also cleverly divided through the design of light niches and hanging desktops, making the space both independent and coherent.
Part 2: Semi-open kitchen – brewing fireworks and poetry
The designer reconstructed the original staircase into a double-structure staircase, with one side connecting to the kitchen counter and the other leading to the dining room bar, realising two-way access. At the same time, it forms a smooth line of ‘cooking – passing food – seating’, making the dining space more efficient and convenient.
The terrazzo bar is cleverly integrated into the staircase area, serving as both a dining table and a social hub. When the solid wood panoramic folding window is fully opened, the kitchen, dining room and living room form a visual corridor, and the narrow scale of 2.49 metres is cleverly diluted in the open design, making the whole space more open. Although the kitchen is relatively small, the L-shape golden dynamic line layout achieves a leap in functionality.
The washing area, operating table and cooking area are fan-shaped, forming a ‘washing, cutting and stir-frying’ triangular work area, with smooth and efficient lines of movement. The extractor hood is hidden in the hanging cabinet, and the home appliances are embedded in the cabinet below, making the overall visual cleanliness.
The overall colour of the kitchen is mainly wood, with mint green as a spice, injecting a clear atmosphere into the space. The kitchen becomes a healing corner that carries the temperature of life. The north balcony has been transformed into a healing multi-functional sunroom.
Not only does it have a much higher value, but it also retains more space and possibilities for the future increase in the number of family members. The wooden shutters have a vintage feel, and the sunlight makes them even more beautiful and dynamic. Elegant sideboards and a few greenery embellishments bring the whole corner to life.
Split-level design in the kitchen
Split-level design is also reflected in the design of the kitchen and dining space. The double-structured staircase effectively separates the kitchen from the dining room, but the terrazzo bar achieves spatial coherence and interaction. This design not only ensures the independence of the dining space, but also promotes communication and interaction between family members.
Part 3: Continuing the vintage vein – creating a nice and quiet resting space
The homeowner’s desired bedroom is a master bathroom that can accommodate a cloakroom, a dressing table and a soaking tub. After in-depth communication, the designer reshaped the space structure with the concept of suite-style design, and created a private resting area that combines practicality and comfort through the scientific planning of functional zoning and the clever construction of privacy barriers.
The floor is made of dark wood, with a herringbone parquet technique. The crisscrossing geometric patterns inject dynamic rhythms into the vintage tone, breaking the dullness of traditional wood layouts and creating a rich transition of visual levels. On the other side, the 6.8-metre long wardrobe stretches along the wall, building a powerful storage system. The main colour of pearl white and the delicate texture of matte baking varnish process, dissolve the oppression brought by the large volume of cabinets, style unity and vitality.
Elderly room continues the retro vein of the whole house, with beige colour spread out the warm tone. Blue bedside subtle embellishment, and the wardrobe of the calm tone of the formation of elegant colour counterpoint. It’s like putting the deep blue night curtain and heavy wood in one room, which not only gives the space a visual leap, but also does not lose the calmness of the elderly living room.
Low saturation oatmeal colours are used for the bedding, outlining in detail the resting atmosphere of tranquillity and sleep. The retro flavour and care for the elderly are warmly balanced in the space.
The floating window is given a new life, with a custom-made wooden countertop embedded in the window sill, which is connected to the cabinet as a whole. The visual effect is elegant and clean. Elders can place tea sets and books in this exclusive corner, and as far as the eye can see is the swaying light and shadow in the gap between the blinds. They can savour the aroma of tea and books, and let the quiet and relaxing reading time become a poetic footnote to their daily life.
Although the public bathroom is only 4 square metres in size, it has achieved a four-piece layout of ‘bathtub + shower + toilet + washbasin’. Whether it is a quick wash in the morning or a relaxing bath in the evening, the needs of every member of the family can be fully satisfied here. Even in a compact space, you can have a customised bathroom experience.
Separate design in bedroom and bathroom
The concept of separated design is also reflected in the design of the bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom is effectively separated from the sleeping area, cloakroom, dressing table and main bathroom through suite design, which not only ensures the privacy of the space, but also improves the convenience of use. The bathroom, on the other hand, maximises functionality through rational layout and storage design, allowing each member to enjoy a customised bathroom experience.
Summary and Outlook
When we pick up the steps between the wrong floors, we are not only measuring the physical height of the space, but also touching the emotional dimension of life. Daily living is no longer flat, but three-dimensional, collecting the first ray of sunshine in the morning, the curling fire at dinner, the leaping notes on the piano, and the unique story of each family member.
In this meticulously reconstructed chinese style homes, every turn and every step is a gentle tribute to the ideal life. Through the design philosophy of ‘deconstructing tradition’, the designers have cleverly used the concept of split design to give new life and vitality to the wrong-floor space. In the future, we look forward to more such innovative designs, which will bring more possibilities to the living experience of chinese style homes.