Press Release
Layered Cohabitat Apartment by Ai Ling Hsieh Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Ai Ling Hsieh for interior space and exhibition design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Layered Cohabitat Apartment by Ai Ling Hsieh, designed for POC Design, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Layered Cohabitat Apartment
Layered Cohabitat is a 46 square meter apartment interior designed for one occupant and a cat. The layout uses the high ceiling to expand vertically, creating a split-level flow that links open spaces. Ascending steps form a climbing wall for the cat and connect to a walkway that wraps around a beam. A two-tier low cabinet by the window offers storage and a lounging spot. Clean lines, soft taupe tones, mineral paint and wood evoke a calm woodland setting. A partition wall was removed to bring east-facing daylight into the interior.
About Ai Ling Hsieh
On behalf of the POC Design's design executive, Ai-ling listens attentively to every thought, and her design transforms the occupant’s dreams and experience into lifestyle, creating living spaces that combine tastes and individuality, and continue from the past, present, to the future. Fully understanding that space is one of the treasures in the modern cosmopolitan, her works aim on the balance between life and aesthetics, the nature of materials, and the proportion within every detail. We commit to provide a free, cozy, and lively environment to all occupants.
Award Record
This recognition makes Ai Ling Hsieh a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/174735
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174735
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174735
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/370992
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://poc-design.com
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Layered Cohabitat Apartment
- Function
- Apartment
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Gray, Rosy Brown, Dark Gray, Dim Gray and Silver
- Images
- 5
- Client
- POC Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Ai Ling Hsieh
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174735
Credits
- Image Credits
- Kane Liou Photography
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Unlike the typical living form, this project provides an innovative solution that integrates everyday functionality while offering the cat an exclusive habitat without any sacrifice to the human's living experience. Exploring the new possibility and cohabitation within a compact space, the design aims for a flowy, effortless, and harmonious balance between the cat and the occupant. The master plan takes advantage of the high ceiling, expanding vertically to enhance movement.
- Inspiration
- Spanning less than 50 square meters, the apartment is tailored for a single woman and a cat. Reimaging the notion of walking into a forest, the interior space is holistically structured with clean lines and soft taupe palettes, complemented by wood materials. Light, color, and the texture interweave to evoke a clam, relaxing, carefree woodland ambiance. Especially, the mirror at the entrance enhances the visual spaciousness through reflection.
- Research
- All materials were applied with thoughtful consideration: LED lighting devices were used to save energy, and recycled-based paints were chosen for sustainability. Meanwhile, all materials were certified non-toxic and safe for both humans and animals. Durable surface materials were selected to reduce long-term maintenance costs.
- Challenge
- The apartment suffered from poor daylighting due to a partition wall blocking the east-facing orientation and the path of the rising sun. By removing the partition wall, the layout opens up, allowing the east-facing room to bring daylight into the interior spaces.
- Realization and Technology
- By introducing varied vertical axes and conjoining open spaces, the design breaks away from a typical apartment layout, creating a split-level flow and spatial diversity. Backdrops are finished in mineral paint, offering a gentle, organic texture that pairs seamlessly with the cabinetry, open shelving, and pegboard wall system. Through the interplay of curves, clean lines, and cut-out form, this small-scale apartment transforms into a new living form where the cat and the human coexist in comfort.
- Operation and Interaction
- A two-tier low cabinet by the window provides not only storage but also a cozy lounging spot for both occupants. Ascending steps build up a climbing wall for the cat, linking to a walkway that wraps around a beam, allowing light and air to freely flow through the space. The open shelving paired with the floating walkway helps define spatial boundaries through a lightweight design, avoiding any sense of visual clutter.
- Specifications
- Construction area 46 square meter.
- Keywords
- Eco-friendly, non-toxic material, compact space
