Skylights introduce natural light, and over time the light casts soft geometric patterns on the walls, sofas and carpets, as if a quiet and subtle timestamp. This is “the way light walks through a home in a day.” Located in Qingpu, Shanghai, this case is a 2-storey, 3-storey, terraced villa. The homeowner met in college and later studied together and lived abroad for many years, raising a pair of children. Today, they return to live in Shanghai, hoping that the new family will integrate into the personality and lifestyle of each family member.

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01 Basement - The Interweaving of Calm and Vitality

The basement walls and top are painted in beige art to create a warm and textured atmosphere. Medium gray cement tiles, black half-walls and black steel handrails adorn them, adding a touch of style and modernity to the space. Beige white, caramel-colored sofas, and round carpets add warmth and softness to this home.
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02 Going home is a “journey of discovery”

The owner of the house is divided between work hours and the daily activities of his family. He goes out every day at noon, returns home the next morning, parks the car in the basement, and rests in the bedroom on the second floor. We hope that the process of moving up from the basement will no longer be in the form of a single staircase, but a series of platforms to form a fitness area, audio-visual area, piano area, hand drawing area and toy area. The process of going home to sleep becomes a “journey of discovery,” where he can see traces of the activities of his wife and children during the day.
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03 Children's Activity Area

The misaligned design of different heights and viewpoints blurs the boundaries of the floors, creating a sense of wonder and fun for children, providing “a fun venue for continuous smooth movement and ever-changing vision”.

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04 Open and mobile LDK spaces

On the first floor, the open kitchen is located in the dimmest corner of the light. Thanks to the carefully designed movement and space layout, the kitchen and the dining room, the living room, the study and the children's play area are well connected. A textured and neutral palette pervades the whole time, creating a soft and calm theme. In the kitchen, the black block on the wall demonstrates the importance and cohesion of this functional space, and the expressive black marble dining table and light brown leather dining chairs go well. Having a cook and eating together is important for the people of the country, home. The coldness of black hides the most mundane human fireworks.

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05 Private and separate bedroom area

The second floor is the bedroom area and the three bedrooms are very compactly arranged together. The attic is divided into three sections, giving three bedrooms, and by redesigning the floor height and function, the attic space of the original chicken ribs is made full use of, providing additional privacy and independence for family members. Through thoughtful material matching and careful planning of space flow, a diverse range of movements, aesthetics, and emotions work together to create an area for this family to live and grow. At the same time, they learn and play together, while each is independent and meditative. They share this deep, mature, and peaceful home.

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Project Information
Project Name: Stairway to the Stars Eleventh Level
DESIGN AGENCY: DREAMCAT LAB IDEAL CAT STUDIO
Project Address: Qingpu, Shanghai, China
Project Area: 420 ㎡
Photography: Zhang Yangyang
Contact Email: dreamcat01@qq.com
Dreamcat Lab, founded in 2017 by National First Registered Architect Kumei-ying, strives to create designs that blend logic, intuition, and emotion through rational research and sensory depiction.

The studio takes its name from “Ideal Cat”, intending to be like a cat, to maintain a keen sense of everything and beauty in the world, and to communicate that perception in the design, to have a conversation with the world. Ideal Cat Studio's business covers the design of private homes, guest houses, commercial spaces, and architecture. Her work has won numerous design awards at home and abroad and has been published in well-known media. The studio always values communication with customers, a deep understanding of their needs and values, tailor-made personalized design solutions to create a unique space experience.
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