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Old factory building made into airy home, creative workspace
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With a bit of thought, homes can be transformed into inspirational hubs of creativity. Such is the case with Jonas Merian, a Swiss designer who has lived in Shanghai since the end of 2008.
After having experienced living in a fully furnished high-rise apartment, and later an old flat that exuded old Shanghai charm, Merian decided to look for a studio space, where he and his wife Nina Chen both could be creative: a space that functioned as a home, workshop and photo studio.
Finally they found an old factory building in Wuwei Kongjian (Five-dimensional Space) Creative Park in Yangpu District, with a big space of 220 square meters with a ceiling up to 6 meters high. After six weeks of renovation, the couple moved in.
“A nice home is a place where I feel comfortable. It needs to be quiet and cozy and I prefer to furnish and decorate it by myself so that it feels more personal,” Merian said. “The old factory building was perfect, like a blank canvas. We could build whatever we wanted and make ourselves really comfortable. It was a lot of work and we had to invest some money but it was totally worth it. It’s nice to have a lot of space available.”
The spacious, lofty space provides room to breathe. However, the original space was one big room. Electricity came in one corner, cold water in another corner and there was no connection to the sewer. In the beginning, the couple thought they could do the renovation all by themselves but after a couple of days they started to realize that it would take them ages to make the space habitable. With help from a renovation company, they finished the work in six weeks.
The couple used lots of reclaimed materials for the renovation such as second-hand bricks for the new walls and reclaimed wood for the floor in the living room and office area.
“Of course there are some downsides to living in a loft. First of all, old factories were never built for living inside. There is no insulation and it’s basically impossible to heat it up in winter or cool it down in summer,” Merian said.
The only way they manage is by dividing the space into smaller units that can be heated or cooled. Their living room/office area, the guest room and bedroom have air conditioners, the rest of the loft doesn’t. In winter, it can drop to 6 degrees inside their main space.
Another downside, according to the designer, is the location. “We are quite far out, which makes meeting friends, shopping and other activities in the city center a bit more inconvenient.”
However, creativity is nurtured in a place where imagination soars. This place for living and working is a refuge. It’s a soulful environment that ultimately fuels his work.
Merian built spaces inside the home, with living space on top. The rest of the space is open, with kitchen and dining area, photo studio for his wife as well as his workshop area and some common exhibition space.
In summer 2010 they did a second renovation and made a new plan for functional spaces just before their daughter was born. Now they have one room as a living room and office, which is convenient as they only need to heat up the space during the day in winter.
In the industrial loft kind of space, the couple added textures and details to personalize it and make it their own. By using a lot of reclaimed materials for the renovation and their own designs for furniture and art, the space has a lot of charm and personality. If a place has an energy or a personality — as this one does — it really draws you in, no matter the location.
“We had a rough idea how the space should be arranged and organized but the rest came in an organic process. One piece leads to another and it’s pretty much a permanent work in progress,” Merian said.
During the renovation, Merian started to build the first piece of furniture out of need. That’s how he got into the furniture making and into upcycling, which is adding value to waste materials.
“I suddenly had so many more ideas floating around my mind that I just continued building furniture and home accessories. Soon after, the first people started to ask if they could buy some of my creations!”
The basic principle behind his design is upcycling, which is reflected in every corner of the space.
Merian uses reclaimed materials to build new furniture — be it old wood from demolished houses of Shanghai’s old town, old Chinese biscuit tins, old suitcases, old televisions. He hand-makes each piece and most are one-of-a-kind.
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Shanghai?
A: I like the contrast in Shanghai, between Western and Eastern culture, old and new, local and international.
Q: Can you describe your home in three words?
A: Industrial loft, creative, personal
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
A: I spend most of my time at home. I live and work at home.
Q: How do you unwind?
A: By enjoying a DVD in our “home cinema” (projector and a white wall)
Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?
A: My workshop and office
Q: What’s the best view outside your window?
A: The blue sky if it’s nice weather. Our windows are quite high up. We can’t really see anything except the sky.
Q: How do you scent your home?
A: We don’t. It smells from freshly cut wood, when I’m working with wood.
Q: What’s your favorite object at home?
A: My favorite object is always the last finished piece of furniture I made.
Q: Where do you source furniture in Shanghai?
A: I don’t source it; I make it.
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