Ascend – The Spine of the Home

这个项目，始于一道旋转楼梯，以及一对年轻夫妻对家的想象。

他们走进一栋带着岁月痕迹的老房子，半圆形的柱廊、修长的立柱与弧形阳台，仍带着几分古典气息。但真正让他们驻足的，不是房子的大小，而是室内那道弧线优美的旋转楼梯。他们站在楼梯前，看见的不只是眼前的台阶与扶手，还有未来的生活：小小的脚步在楼梯间奔跑，笑声从楼上传来，一家人的故事在这里慢慢展开。

我们以「家的脊梁」为概念，将楼梯视为家的中心，让它不仅连接上下楼层，也串联起一家人的日常。空间的组织、光线的引入与材质的选择，都围绕这道弧线展开，在回应老房子原有特质的同时，为新的生活梳理出清晰的秩序。

我们没有将老房子推倒重来，而是在原有建筑的基础上，以简洁、高挑的山形框架取代原本的半圆柱廊，呼应屋身原有的斜屋顶。大面积玻璃为原本偏暗的室内引入日光，白色外框与木色饰面相互衬托，让更新后的立面在利落之中，多了一份温润与通透。室内楼梯两侧原有通往厨房的入口也得以保留，并以成对的石材门框重新勾勒，呼应新立面山形框架的对称构图，让室内外延续着一致的设计语言。

主卫的改造，是这个项目中让我们格外有满足感的部分。原来的淋浴区与储物间各占了斜顶下的一半空间，而我们看到了这处空间值得保留、重新利用的潜力。在保留原有墙体与斜顶的基础上，我们适度扩大浴室的使用空间，并以这一区域为起点重新梳理布局。屋主恰好希望有一处能坐着沐浴的地方，于是我们将坐凳安排在斜顶最低的一侧。坐下时，上方的斜面并不会造成头顶的阻碍，原本较低的空间，恰好与屋主的需求相契合。

宽敞的双人洗手台与浴缸，也在新的布局中各得其所。从主卧梳妆区到洗手台，从浴缸到淋浴间，各个区域之间衔接自然，日常的往来清晰流畅。经过这番对空间与动线的重新整理，主卧与主卫都多了一份开阔与从容。

我们想象的，不只是房子完工那天的模样，还有一家人在这里住上许多年以后的生活。温润的木头会慢慢添上使用的痕迹，石材天然的纹理与墙面细微的手工触感，也会成为日常里再熟悉不过的细节。这个家不必一直维持刚完成时的样子，我们更希望一家人能自在地使用它，让日子慢慢留下属于他们的印记。

这份用心，也延伸到了室外。我们选用同一色系、三种不同尺寸的地砖，为屋主设计专属的铺排图案。没有现成模板，工人便依照图纸逐片铺设，通过耐心的核对与调整，让不同尺寸的地砖一一就位。完成后的地面呈现出有序而不拘谨的节奏，看似自然随性，背后却是细致的推敲与施工。

最动人的，还是这栋房子如今的日常。楼梯间每天响起小女儿轻快的脚步声，让父母当时的想象有了真实的回响。曾经憧憬的生活，如今正在这里发生，而这栋老房子也在一家人的陪伴下，慢慢积累起新的记忆。

这从来不只是一次翻新，而是一个家的故事。我们有幸陪他们写下这一章。

A spiral staircase first drew a young couple to this ageing house. They imagined small footsteps on the stairs, laughter from above, and family life unfolding around it. That vision inspired “The Spine of the Home”, a concept that places the staircase at the centre of both the layout and daily life.

Working with the existing house, we replaced the semicircular portico with a tall gabled frame that echoes the original pitched roof. Generous glazing brings daylight into the once-dim interior, while white framing and timber-toned finishes give the façade a clean yet welcoming presence. Interior, the original kitchen entrances flanking the staircase are retained and framed in stone, carrying the
gable’s symmetry into the interior.

The master bathroom was one of the most rewarding parts of the renovation. Its sloping ceiling had previously extended across a separate shower area and storeroom. Keeping the existing walls and roof profile, we increased the usable bathroom space and reconsidered the layout. Owners wanted a place to sit while showering, so we positioned a bench beneath the lowest part of the ceiling, where there is comfortable headroom when seated. What might have been a constraint became a natural fit for their needs. The new layout also accommodates a generous double vanity and a bathtub without either feeling squeezed in. Movement from the bedroom’s dressing area to the washbasins, and from the bath to the shower, feels easy and intuitive. This careful reorganisation of space and circulation brings a greater sense of openness and ease to both the bedroom and bathroom.

We designed for the years ahead, not just the day of completion. Timber, naturally veined stone and hand-finished walls bring warmth and texture without asking to be kept pristine. The intention is a home that grows more personal through use, with room for family life to leave its mark.

Outdoors, three tile sizes within a single colour palette form a bespoke paving pattern. With no standard template to follow, the tilers worked from detailed drawings, carefully placing and adjusting each piece. The finished surface feels relaxed and unforced, its apparent ease grounded in precise planning and patient craftsmanship.

Today, their young daughter’s light footsteps on the stairs bring to life what the couple imagined on their first visit. The renovation is one chapter in a family story that continues to unfold—and we were fortunate to help shape it.