Chains Interior: Incorporating Four Key Solar Features into Residential Design

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a unique use of lighting in a residential design by 2024 SBID Awards Finalist, Chains Interior.

The project is more than a simple residential space but was also planned to serve as a banquet and event space, so we wanted to use visual tension to impress guests rather than a timeless style. In response to the owner's request for functional needs, the designer deliberately enlarged the scale of the public domain. The entrance is bounded by a glass screen with light track lines, and the reflection effect brought by the light hints at directing the circulation. Hand-blown glass artwork on the side is illuminated by the marble back wall and lighting, suggesting the upcoming lively scene.

What was the client's brief?

Residential spaces should not only be comfortable but also reflect the unique characteristics of the homeowners. In this case, the male homeowner has a passion for photography, particularly focusing on capturing natural light. Meanwhile, the female homeowner, as their children have grown up, has shifted her efforts towards social welfare volunteering, hoping for a place to host charitable lectures and discussions. The couple's pursuit of light and their spirit of conveying love inspired the concept of this project, themed around the "sun."

What inspired the design of the project?

Transforming the shape, colour, characteristics, and movement of the sun into a design language, this project incorporates four key solar features: the halo formed by sunlight refraction, the dazzling radiance of solar rays, the changing colour temperature of daylight throughout the day, and the sun’s trajectory over the course of a year. These elements are embodied in the design through the imagery of "halo," "radiance," "spectrum," and "trajectory."

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating raw materials and labor faced many challenges. In the early stages of design discussions, importing various materials from overseas became more time-consuming and labor-intensive than before. Additionally, regulations for residential construction became significantly stricter, limiting the number of workers allowed on-site. The extended construction timeline also led to an increase in renovation costs.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

"Live like a beam of light, for you never know who, by your light, has found their way out of the darkness."

This quote from Rabindranath Tagore's "Impacting Lives with Life" serves as an inspiration—perhaps design, too, can influence lives. Through thoughtful creation, a space can become more than just a structure; it can be a source of light and passion, helping its inhabitants discover warmth and meaning in their lives.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

SBID is a highly prestigious recognition, and it holds special significance for us because the homeowner discovered our work through award-winning projects from the SBID Awards. This makes the achievement even more meaningful to us.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

For us, this is a great opportunity for exposure, allowing more clients who value design quality to discover our work and recognise the exceptional creations we can bring to life.

Questions answered by Flora mao, Director at Chains Interior.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a modern family home design by 2024 SBID Awards Finalist, Chains Interior.

The owners of this residence prefer to maintain a balance between family closeness and individual privacy. The floorplan thus devises two traffic flows to simultaneously fulfil this request. Natural sunlight from the windows, indirect light within the interior, and various light fixtures, serve as tangible sources of light. There is artwork placed in various corners in the residence. Thematically associated with light, the artwork represents the spiritual essence of light.

What was the client's brief?

The clients are a couple with four children, a very devout Christian family. They hope that their new home can create a space and atmosphere that is both intimate and private.

What inspired the design of the project?

We took a passage from the Bible: "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you." as the development of this project, with the light in the wilderness as the main axis of inspiration. The space uses primitive, simple, and unrefined materials as the background environment, and then uses a light atmosphere that is a mixture of reality and illusion to create a home space where "you are in the city, but your heart is in the wilderness."

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

In order to convey the concept of "light in the wilderness", how to choose materials and forms that can present a "wild" style became the first topic of this case. The second topic is how to bring out the theme of light. We divide the image of light into two levels. One is the physical light, which is formed by the sunlight outside the window, the indirect lighting in the room and various lighting fixtures; the other is the virtual light. We place artworks with the theme of light in the space to bring out the spiritual image of light. In particular, in the selection of artworks, we searched for the theme of "light" suitable for this case from all over the world and placed them in the space. In addition to becoming the visual focus, they also convey the spiritual symbolic meaning of light.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The indoor configuration of public and private dual traffic lines is the highlight of this case. The different window conditions corresponding to the two traffic lines cleverly create two different atmospheres of daytime light and nighttime light, thereby bringing out the fluidity and temporality of light.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

The SBID Award is one of the few interior design competitions that has categories for different cost budgets and design goals. This makes the judging criteria of the competition more clear. In addition, there is also a "project of the week" activity selected internally by the association, which provides another new perspective and allows many works to have the opportunity to be reported.

Chains Interior on 7 November 2018, 14 April 2021, 10 November 2021 and 15 November 2023 won SBID's "Project of the week" four times, and this year two more design works were selected for "Project of the week" at the same time. It also recognises and encourages our continuous efforts in the field of interior design.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

First of all, this award has always been a very indicative and international certification, so we want to let more people see our work by participating in this competition. Secondly, we reached the finals in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, which gave the team great encouragement and made us look forward to continuing to pursue innovation.

Questions answered by Lien Wu Chen, Design Director of Chains Interior.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a whimsical apartment design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Chains Interior.

The process of building a home is like the story that began with the rabbit leading Alice into Wonderland. It is a journey of self-exploration, to fall into one’s own subconscious in ever-shifting cosmoses, and being there is to realize one’s deepest desires in life.

What was the client's brief? 

The client is a family of four, the hostess is elegant and enthusiastic, hoping that the home will be full of beautiful energy.

What inspired the design of the project?

The concept for this project was inspired by "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Alice's continuous and extraordinary encounters within Wonderland, as well as her observations and experiences, made us feel that it was a perfect fit for this house full of continuous surprises. In this design, we aimed to capture the whimsy and magic of Wonderland by infusing the space with elements of surprise, curiosity, and playfulness. Different atmospheres blend harmoniously, each element emanates a unique radiant energy, it is the home of dreams.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

To me, the toughest part would be balancing creativity and practicality well. Interior design requires a balance between creative ideas and practical considerations. Innovative design concepts also need to consider factors such as functionality, safety, building codes, and budget limitations.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight of this project lies in the diverse range of soft furnishings from various brands and the unique way they are combined, bringing a rich and distinctive style to the space. This mix-and-match and diverse design approach not only emphasizes the uniqueness of the living area but also showcases the residents' creativity and individual tastes.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

SBID is one of the most representative award in the world. The project is highly acknowledged in Asia competition and we want to know if it is also appreciated by an international audience.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

Being listed in a world-renowned award enhances the company's credibility and prestige within the industry. And also, the awards often generate extensive media coverage and attention, leading to increased visibility and exposure for the company. This exposure can attract new clients, partnerships, and projects.

Questions answered by Flora Mao, Lead Designer at Chains Interior.