While Beijing’s real estate prices keep rising almost uncontrollably and often with no reason, here’s an actual considerable project of interior design by Shanghai-based multi-awarded Dariel Studio, whose custom works always feature originality and creativity. Completed in May, Beijing Fantasy is one of the most astonishing results of the studio, where “immensity” is the keyword: the space in fact is the result of the reunion of 12 apartments located on the last two floors of a building in the Sanlitun area, for a total of 1500 square meters.

Light and color take over the space, thanks to an eccentric decoration aimed at depicting the owners’ personality. The first floor is completely open, with textures, materials, lines and shapes instead of actual partitions: beside that, Thomas Dariel built an endless living room by using mirror-covered beams reflecting both the lower and upper floor. The sense of no limits also recurs in the entrance where another optical illusion creates the same result.

The effective partition between downstairs and upstairs is given by the massive round-shaped staircase that leads to all rooms: it is the centre of the space, just like a huge artwork. The Beijing Fantasy project is meant to be a homage to post-modernism, as proved by the use of bright and strong hues, asymmetric lines, design items and shapes that have almost nothing to do with functionality, creating an eccentric playful character. These features recur in any element of the interior, from ceilings to wardrobes, in a constant flow of emotions further enhanced by the many contemporary art pieces scattered along the apartment, such as “Lost Dogs” by Aurele, located at the antrance.

If the lower floor is about any aspect of a living area, from kitchen to the kids playground, the upper one represents the private space of the lodgers, with a Fengshui master bedroom to add a relaxed feel to the space. In this way, Beijing Fantasy combines the two main sides of any human being: the social playful one and the solitary private one.

INFO: www.darielstudio.com

PHOTO COURTESY: Dariel Studio