Just as modern interiors and the domestic architecture that supports them can be traced back to one key point—the commissioning by developers Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin—so the now popular trend towards open-plan living started with Taiwanese architect Deng Kun Yen, some of whose work can be seen here under Contemporary Scholar’s Studies, Lighting and Contemporary Courtyards. His reconstruction and conversion of warehouse and industrial spaces near the Suzhou River in Shanghai became enormously influential. It involved re-examining ways of living, away from the traditional and protective idea of a number of enclosed rooms with individual functions, and a willingness to participate in the new. It also involved the regeneration of old architecture. Developers are now recycling old buildings and making them useful once again. These buildings commonly feature large open spaces, often with big windows, high ceilings and exposed duct work. Factories and warehouses, when well-renovated and designed, have an incomparable openness and unique style, and loft living has rapidly and recently become popular. Additionally, they often have interesting architectural features, such as moldings, that help to make these large spaces distinctive.
An open-plan conversion of a 1930s brick apartment in Shanghai. The exposed original brickwork and natural wood floor contrast with the simple, mainly white modern furniture. The new mezzanine carries a study and relaxation space.
An apartment in the 798 Beijing art district, converted from a Communist-era warehouse. Four rotating iron-frame screens, each constructed of three canvas panels, separate the dining from the living area.
A contemporary Shanghai apartment with a minimalist white theme, the living area on the left and the dining area on the right.
Demolishing interior walls in this Beijing apartment created a long, rectangular living room. A copper-clad wall is the surround for the television in a freestanding central unit that provides the focus for the open-plan space.