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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Marty Chou Is Honored with the A' Design Award for The Mermaid's Home in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

Marty Chou honored for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for The Mermaid's Home by Marty Chou, designed for Ms. Lee. The result belongs to the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided 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.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Regarding The Mermaid's Home

The Mermaid's is a residential interior design for a 90 square meter apartment in Taiwan. The space is conceived as a gallery for the owner's collections rather than a conventional home. A mermaid figure from a new collection became the central theme, setting the semi-monochrome palette and the calm atmosphere. Classical molding is used as a design tool. The vertical lines make the space appear higher, and they conceal room doors and storage cabinets. Daily functions are hidden to keep the view simple. Furniture is selected for contrast between straight and curved forms.

About Marty Chou

Marty Chou received his Bachelor of Architecture in University of Toronto, Canada in 2002, and Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design in Columbia University, New York, USA in 2005. Since 2016, he has been teaching architecture design studio in NTUT, Taipei, Taiwan. “Marty Chou Architecture” was founded in 2013, and has since been dedicated to pursue the art of clarity and the beauty of simplicity in architecture. Works are published in international media and have won the 2017 TID award and 2018 WIN Award

Award Record

Marty Chou is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

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

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
The Mermaid's Home
Function
Home
Category
Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors
Dark Gray, Light Slate Gray, Gray, Dim Gray and Silver
Images
5
Client
Ms. Lee

The Recognition

Laureate
Marty Chou
Country
Taiwan (China)
Recognition
A' Design Award
Edition
2019 - 2020
Design ID
#87690

Credits

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Kyle Yu Photo Studio

Design Details

Unique Properties
During the design, came a new collection - a little Mermaid. Her serene quality caught me and my mind started to evolve around her. She became the focal point and anchor of the space, the tone of the ambiance, and the source of the semi-monochrome palette. In the end, the entire space is the extend-dimension of this fantastical creature. She is the soul of this space; the soul that reflect the essence of the elegant lady.
Inspiration
In the beginning, the owner of this apartment, an elegant and beautiful lady, told me that she would like to live in a place, where its ambiance is ambiguous, less like a home, more like a sanctuary in dream, in which she could be isolated and indulged with her on-going collections in this timeless, sacred space.
Research
This project is an experiment of utilizing the owner's collection not merely as ornament, but to be the main concept and inspiration of the space. And also, to incorporate the owner's fascination of classical molding into contemporary design.
Challenge
The main challenge of this project is about finding balance, mainly between practicality and fantasy, decorative and minimal, classical and modern.
Realization and Technology
The classical molding here is used not merely as decoration but more as a design tool. Its vertically stretching quality makes the space appears to be higher than it actually is. It also hides away the doors of rooms and storage cabinets, unified and simplified the visual elements, and create a sense of serenity and calmness for the space.
Operation and Interaction
To respond to the owner's wish to live in a not-home-like place, I conceive the entire space as a gallery of her collections and display of her taste. Daily function and storage are hidden away to create a sense of optimal airy-ness, so the eyes only see the most essentials. Furniture selection focuses on the quality of contrast between straight and curve, thick and thin, light and heavy, as they are displayed sculptural pieces. As for the Mermaid, its elements are used throughout the entire space; the choice of materials, the fabrics, and colors, are all inspired by her.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in July 2017 in Taiwan and finished in June 2018.
Specifications
The interior space is 90 square-meter.
Keywords
Interior design, Home Gallery, Modern Classic, Minimalism, monochrome space, monochrome palette, Taiwan

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