THESE days, the challenge often isn't so much in finding the perfect place for living but creating a natural, healthy environment for parents and children to enjoy a fulfilling life.

Shanghai-based designer Sherry Poon shows how she's made her home a nest for living, a place to create good memories for her children and a comfortable reflection of her own identity.

Before purchasing the current house on Fumin Road, Canadian Chinese Poon and her family had lived in the same lane for more than six years. "We loved the location, community, history and the surrounding area," Poon said. "When we were looking to purchase a property, we searched for the same features and really lucked out to find this one in the same lane."

When they moved in, the 52-square-meter house looked, said Poon, "as if it had not been renovated for 20 years." It had been occupied by an elderly couple who lived very frugally. Keen to preserve the integrity of the building - its sense of history - Poon kept the staircase and the wooden floors.

To make the space more eco-energy efficient and suitable for their lifestyles, she demolished all the partition walls to open up the living areas, added insulation to the roof and walls and built in the back terrace for an additional room.

She replaced all the windows with high-quality, double glazed windows and installed skylights to allow more natural daylight in the roof and north part of the house.

Structural reinforcement was done and a staircase was also added to make the attic useable. After renovations, the house is now around 80 square meters.

"After having rented for six years, we wanted a place that felt comfortable to come home to, a sanctuary from the noise and pollution of the city,'' Poon said.

Once the facelift was finished the rest was easy, as the old house was so naturally beautiful.

Poon prefers to allow the natural materials of the wood, glass and metal to dominate the color scheme. The wall colorings are neutral as well.

There is a lot of wood and all of it is either original or reclaimed wood, she said. "All of our cabinetry is made from old floor boards reclaimed from demolished houses in Shanghai," Poon said. "Our kitchen counter and dining room table is made from iron wood from old railway ties in Indonesia which was kindly given to us by an Indonesian friend,'' she said.

"We tried to keep all the materials in our home as close to their original finish as possible. With reclaimed wood, not only is it more environmentally friendly, the colors and grain variations are more rich.''

Although not large, the house has a considered design that creates a very flexible space. "It's relatively small but by opening up the living areas, it made the space look larger, provided cross ventilation and allowed for more natural light,'' she said.

More importantly though, the living, dining and kitchen is the heart of the house and where the family spends the majority of their time eating, cooking, playing, reading and talking. With two girls - three-and-a half-year-old Ruohan and 15-month-old Saia - an open space design makes it easier to supervise them and they are always welcomed to help with the cooking.

Seeking an eating area that was both polished and child-friendly, Poon used dining room chairs designed by A00 Furniture. These have an ergonomic design that is easier on the back and can be stored out of sight under the dining table.

"What is great is that they are made from laminated plywood pieces using only non-toxic water-based glues and finishes. The kids' playtable and chairs are designed in the same style and finish." The bathroom next to the kitchen has sliding glass panels so that it can be connected to this space "and we can watch the kids while they take a bath.''

"We were inspired by the simplicity and functionality of the Shaker (a communal English design) houses.'' The majority of storage is located in full-height cupboards under the staircase to the master bedroom. This helps to keep the living areas neat and uncluttered. All the kids toys are stored in low open shelves so that they can learn to put their toys away.

The wooden staircases lead to the small attic that was turned into the master bedroom. It was originally an unused space but the couple make the most of it by having their closets built in on both sides, exposing the roof beams for extra height and having a tatami-style bed.

"It is wonderful to wake up in the morning with the sun pouring in from the skylight,'' Poon said. "My husband and I live by an 'open door' policy with our kids. There is no door to our bedroom and the kids are welcomed to snuggle in with us if they have a nightmare."

Obviously, Poon is an environmentalist and a great mom. She is an architect with nine years international experience specializing in international development, minimum cost housing, residential and sustainable design.

Her own brand Wobabybasics was created after the birth of her first child. It became important for her to redesign essential babywear clothes to be sustainable and stylish, without compromising performance and quality.

"Primarily, we try to keep the space simple and minimalist, and it is safer for kids. Although we moved in about a year ago, the house is still a work in progress. One day, we will have pictures on the wall and a sofa in the living room."


Who is he?

Sacha Silva (pictured right) is founder of A00 Architecture. A Canadian born and raised in Montreal, Silva came to Shanghai to see a city that was unlike anything he had experienced at home. After two years he opened a design firm with his partner because they felt there was a real opportunity that couldn't be missed for them to develop their ideas. A00 is best known for its modern conversions of Shanghai's historic houses into highly personalized residences.

The firm is also known for its research into environmental sustainability and its application to architecture, interiors and furniture. The A00 collection of recyclable furniture based on laminated cardboard and plywood is available at Nest on Taikang Road.


Tell us some of your works and name one you are most proud of.

The easiest work to name is URBN Hotel since it is our most high profile at the moment. We provided the hotel with its spatial concept, interior and facade design.

But we have done over 30 private residences, mostly in the former residential area, that we are proud of but which most people will only be able to see through images in a magazine.

There is always something within each project that I can say we feel proud of. Sometimes even getting a small detail built right can be very satisfying.

Although we have done many beautiful homes, one of my favorites happens to also be the smallest - a top floor apartment on Huaihai Road that we did for a good friend.


Are you currently involved with any project?

Usually there are simultaneous ongoing projects in our office. At the moment I am personally leading the design of a private beach house in Sri Lanka, trying to get our furniture projects up and running, as well as supervising the completion of two other projects: one lane house and one restaurant project.


Describe your design style.

I cannot say that I can define any style that leads or defines who we are as a firm. We don't start every project with a mission to have a certain look or motif. The style of our projects is a natural projection of client needs, balanced with the design experience that we bring to the table. Each project is a style on its own.


Where are you most creative?

The great thing about creativity is that it can happen anywhere. Sometimes even in the middle of writing a sentence ... then you just sketch it in your notebook and keep going.


What does your home mean to you?

Home is where we get into a new rhythm, slow things down, relax, enjoy time with friends, family or dreaming.


What do you collect?

I am bad at collecting anything but I have an obsession with fixed gear bikes and I have a feeling that I will be adding a few more to my home.


Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

I would love to go on all the grass! Shanghai is missing open public places where you can just throw a frisbee around.


What will be the next big design trend?

In Shanghai, I can only hope that sustainable issues will become more of a trend. Too many spaces are built too cheaply and with such low-quality products that it is really affecting the health of the people using them.

But more and more great young firms are coming up in Shanghai and it is always great to see the exceptional spaces that others are creating. It won't be long before something really great comes out of Shanghai.