Guided by their client, Mr Xie’s, preferences, Waterteam Design has created a contemporary literati space that fuels the soul

Shares Mr Xie, “I don't like being too classical, and of course, I don't like fashion or trendiness; I don't like glamour or insignificance; I like to be clumsy, but I don't like being too surprised by silence - because being surprised by silence can easily cause a sense of stagnation, which is too much for me; I don't like overly complicated lines and layers of addition, and I don't like reducing to nothing; The so-called Chinese and Japanese styles... if the style is fixed, I actually don't really like it. I hope to find a suitable point and degree among them…”

On the final result, he contemplates, “Standing in this study and gazing at the window, it reminds one of the famous lines of French poet Baudelaire in "The Window": ‘It is better to see through an open window than through a closed window. Nothing is more profound, mysterious, rich, and obscure than a window illuminated by a candle.’ Of course, Japanese writer Kitagawa Shiramura has a more refined expression about this: ‘A closed window illuminated by a candle is a work.’”

The study creates a hazy kind of beauty through lighting, which is ethereal and subtle, hidden by the candlelight in the classical atmosphere, returning together on a different journey. In addition, the resonance and collision of space, scale, and material create a beautiful, elegant, and slightly distant space. Before this, my ten thousand books were scattered everywhere. Fortunately, I met Xiaojun, the founder of Waterteam Design. After half a year of design and construction, in the early autumn of 2023, during the summer retreat and quiet time, the study and our compound space were completed as scheduled…

Waterteam Design always thinks about how space expresses the emotional support of temporality. Temporal design emphasises persistence and adaptability, which is the cornerstone of creating a unique atmosphere for individuals in space. While I understand that good design should be able to withstand the test of time, it’s also necessary to consider the variability of space, as the free streamline plane can adapt to the changing needs of the company at different stages. A classic and contemporary design can endure for a long time, be balanced and stable, and be independent of style.”

Interestingly, the organic combination of daily work and private study creates a unique atmosphere, where the couple operates together while preserving independent thinking space. The wall between the office and private study seems to cross the gap between reality and ideals. The office section fully considers efficiency and future variable functional demands. From office furniture to integrated design of functional cabinets, boards with strong plasticity and controllable environmental friendliness for efficient factory customization assembly design were chosen. This completes the unique visual presentation for a creative clothing company.

Says Waterteam Design, “Mr. Xie's study has fulfilled all my imagination of a contemporary literati space. Imagine that the space can accommodate Mr. Xie attire, speech, hospitality, meeting people, writing, etc. It’s a gentle contrast to relationships and a space centred around books. Not attention seeking, not boring, but filled with power. It is temporal, it is Eastern, it is Western rhyme, ancient, contemporary…

Readers should have a broad understanding of the past and present, integrate Chinese and Western cultures, and embrace diverse cultures while retaining cute paranoia. Design is more than just that. The study room is not an ancient study, not a public study, but a personal product under Mr. Xie personal aesthetic label. It is the heart that collides with people, books, and life.

I have always had this image in my mind that stepping on the worn floor after the fall of the year is the strange noise made by the old house in Paris stepping on the old floor. That's the notes, story, history, imagination. As well as touching the traces of materials such as concrete, teak, stone, and copper coated with paste, she does not need to dress up excessively delicately, and even allows for the existence of certain flaws. It's some kind of truth that you touch.

Throughout this project, Mr Xie was deeply involved and he sighed that he had fulfilled his many years of dreams. His heart - [with the study] - was also just my imagination!”