High above Beijing on the 55th floor of one of the cities tallest buildings, life isn’t so bad for an international entrepreneur who has just moved into a hybrid home and business suite designed by Los Angeles and NYC based collaborative design studio Asap / Adam Sokol.
Located in the Jianguomen/CBD area, the ‘X-house’ as the architects have futuristically named it, has been sculpted out using a system of Bézier curves. The result is a smoothly choreographed network of domes, and an atmosphere that is a little Zaha meets the egg-shaped bathrooms at Sketch in London.
Upon a neutral palette of white oak floors and hand troweled white plaster, materials and lighting adapt to the purpose of each room. Mirrored floors create a statement effect in the washroom, while a bar area with views across the city has been clad in polished stainless steel triangle.
The bathroom is a stand-out moment of the apartment. A round tub sits centrally at the heart of five interlocking domes that meet creating a poetic architectural space. The bathroom has been clad entirely in 20mm stone mosaic tiles. Each tile has been individually placed and polished after being set, creating a smoothly cohesive effect that places the architectural shape of the space at the forefront.
As well as solitary moments for winding down at the end of the day, this interior has also been designed to host up to 50 people. The 1000-bottle wine cellar, with its curved shelves and mirrors, reflects the owner’s passion for collecting wine. §
