Mini Utopia Residence儿童乌托邦双孩住宅

This 150 m² apartment renovation in Chaoyang District, Beijing, begins with two questions: what does the contemporary nuclear family look like, and what kind of design truly fits its needs? The clients are a typical young family – a couple, two small children and a grandparent who comes to help – who asked for a home that is brighter, easier to clean and has far more storage.

The design sorts the whole flat into two kinds of space, storage and living, divided by one continuous timber wall. Behind the wall are cabinets, so almost every room has ample storage; in front of it is space for people. The wall has no sharp corners: formed of continuous curves, it lets the children run freely without fear of injury. Where storage and everyday life must meet, black-marble niches open into the wall – a shoe bench at the entrance with a seat at child height, a mini-bar in the living room, wardrobes in the master suite, crockery and wine cabinets in the dining room.

The living room is kept as open as possible: the coffee table is gone and surfaces move to the windowsills and counters. Parents' and children's rooms sit together along a corridor lined with a magnetic whiteboard wall for drawing, with stationery stored inside it. The children's room is split into two levels – sleeping above, study and play below – with storage under the stairs and in a raised floor. Seats at 200 and 250 mm join the standard 450 mm, cushioned 250 mm platforms become small stages, and an adjustable desk steps from 250 mm for toddlers to 650 mm for children over twelve.