WHEN you think of using white in an interior to achieve the impression of cleanliness and elegance as well as a sense of tranquility, you are right. As temperatures rise, a cool, white space provides ideal refuge.

Daniel Fintzi and Claudine Chiarella's rented apartment on Huaihai Road M. is a bright, open space in the former French concession. And this 133-square-meter flat offers the incredible light the couple had been searching for.

Fintzi from Tel Aviv, Israel, and his girlfriend Chiarella from Sydney, Australia, met while living in Milan. "It was extremely slow. We were just bored and wanted a change. Four-and-a-half years ago the opportunity came to give Shanghai a try," Fintzi said.

They lived in an old apartment for four years but with a baby due, they needed a bigger space. "We would never live outside the city center, so location is the key. And new buildings would never be on our list as the aluminum window frames are too ugly to look at," he said. "It also needs to have good natural light and feeling."

No wonder this apartment they moved in to last year has amazing light and uninterrupted views of plane trees through fantastic multi-paned windows. The massive apartment block Empire Mansions, wrapping around the corner of Huaihai Road M. and Changshu Road, was one of the most luxurious apartment complexes completed in 1931. Although some historic character has been lost it still presents an old-world aesthetic after a recent face-lift before the World Expo.

"The apartment is great but far from perfect. The kitchen is 'Hai Bao' (the mascot of 2010 Expo) blue and poorly insulated. One of the bathrooms has an impossible layout. But the overall living areas are big and open," Fintzi said.

When they first saw the place there were too many walls. Two rooms had no natural light. "And the walls were pink, not our favorite color," Fintzi said. "Given the apartment's condition the only style we needed to create was 'livable'."

Fintzi expressed his disbelief in imposing a style on a place. "We let the space express itself. We make sure the space serves our needs, that's it."

"We were a bit tight on time so we made the minimum necessary alterations: the mandatory paint job, taking down a couple of walls to let natural light in and adding loads of storage space."

"We had to paint the pink walls and did not want to overcrowd the house so we used white color and white furniture that seem to blend in pretty well," Fintzi said. "We want a relaxed place to have fun in. We don't need to be over stimulated while at home so white does the job."

Fintzi chose furniture pieces that are characterized by slender, linear shapes and clean lines rather than bold, chunky styles. These pieces not only look crisp and streamline, but also show the maximum amount of floor space underneath and around.

Looking around, it seems all it takes to give a coolly pared-down room a sense of softness, warmth and livability is an injection of one or two sublimely lovely objects. The beauty of relaxed simplicity lies in the fact that one has the opportunity to soften the minimalism and inject his or her own individuality into an interior by introducing things one is passionate about.

Having something in every room that is personal and well loved makes a statement and gives the room impact. "My favorite piece of furniture is a red stool by Ikea. It's small and comfortable, and it has a hole in the middle so you can put a glass in it and it won't fall," Fintzi said. "It is the best side table, even though it is a stool."

A few designer pieces give the otherwise neutral apartment bags of character. They have some white chairs from Paustian, an office furniture company whose products work great in every kind of space, according to Fintzi. The dining area light is designed by Tord Boontje from Habitat and the lamp placed in the library is by Kartell.

Fintzi has studied and worked in the field of interior and product design in Milan, Paris and London. The purely functional rectangular coffee tables and cabinets are designed by himself.

Lighting is another essential for Fintzi. "Lighting in a house should preferably not come from the ceiling. We try to have all the light come from scattered lamps. The dining room and the kitchen are the only areas in a house that need light from the top," he said.

"People make a space lively. Without people's 'footprints' every place looks bare. Books are a good way to bring in color, variety and they also make you look smart." Who is she?

Lea Chen is a 1970s generation architect and designer living and working in Beijing, throughout China and also a little bit abroad. "Shi Shang Architecture" is the second company she started. Her team has been based in Beijing's 798 art district in a small but interesting lofty space since 2002. Right now Chen is very busy with work but sings in a band in her occasional time off. She works on her PhD program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, rides a motorbike with her husband and continues to renovate their house.

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

The range of projects I work on is very big. I started out with architecture and design for large residential condominium and commercial projects. It taught me a lot about efficiency and living styles of Chinese people. With the constant growth of the Chinese middle class there has been a huge demand for new housing projects. However, after you have done this for a while it is not very challenging anymore. This is why, in terms of architecture and interior design, I focus more and more on cultural projects now. I have designed galleries, clubs and most recently I am also working on a large museum project. This is very interesting and creatively quite demanding. You need big ideas and lots of small ideas that marry function with design. Moreover I am also working on my own line of exclusive furniture. My tables all have animal legs and look very special. They sell in a few places so far and I got some great feedback. This makes me very proud. I like to create and design spaces and objects that people have fun interacting with.

Are you currently involved with any project?

The biggest project at the moment is the Moon River Museum in the Tongzhou District of Beijing. Moon River is a huge recreation complex with hotel, golf course, equestrian club, spas, condos and now also a museum. It is huge and it needs a lot of detailed thinking and collaboration with highly professional experts. I learn a lot and though it is very exhausting it is also a lot of fun.

Describe your design style.

The basis of my design style is modernism, classic 1970s style: simple spaces with dramatic highlights. I try to combine this with a Chinese flavor that comes from traditional symbolism and building techniques. I currently do my PhD in architecture and really study both the Western grandmasters of architecture and also the ancient Chinese wisdom of building and creating spaces. I think there is a lot of positive tension that comes from combining both in an interesting way.



What does your home mean to you?

My home is my home. If you come through the door you are in my world. It is the complete opposite from what you might expect an architect to live like. You'd think I have a very sleek and clean showroom-style home, but my home is full with things. I changed the layout of the apartment to be very open and roomy and airy and filled it with small and big things that my husband and I collected over the years. There are lots of furniture pieces in there, all different designers and all different styles but all very comfortable and inviting and unimposing. There is a lot of lighting and there is a lot of space to just chill and relax and read or talk or drink coffee.

What do you collect?

There is not one special thing I collect but basically I love interesting objects and I love interesting art. There are a lot of one-off pieces all over the house: an original red dragon from my friend Sui Jianguo, designer lights and furniture, Art Deco candle holders from the south of France, fruit bowls from South Africa, lots of books and CDs and so many other things. I also cannot deny that I have a lot of clothes and shoes and bags. Those might actually count as a collection.

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

Living in Beijing, I really enjoy coming to Shanghai every other month or so and soak up the speed and light and vibe of this city. I love to visit the new bars and restaurants and hotels with my friends from town. I like to have a good night out overlooking the city from the Bund; I like brunch in the former French concession; I like the BBQs on my friend's roof terrace. There is not one thing in Shanghai that I can single out; it's really the sum of it all.

What will be the next big design trend?

Simplicity: no more complicating things, going back to basics and quality, appreciating the simple things, the details, the craftsmanship.

Q: What's the best thing about living in Shanghai?

A: I am a city boy and love cities, you can't get more "city" than Shanghai. It's multi everything and never stopping.

Q: Describe your home in three words.

A: Claudine, Leo, Daniel.

Q: What's the first thing you do when you get home?

A: When I get home the first thing I do is to take off my shoes and look at my watch to see if it's already time for a drink.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: I unwind usually just by watching television and cooking.

Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?

A: I must admit that about 80 percent of my non-sleeping time is spent on the living room sofa. It's wide, deep, flat and low. Luckily it is also in front of the TV.

Q: What's the best view outside your window?

A: The best view outside our window is the morning sun from 8 to 11am. When the sun is around the rest becomes a lot less important.

Q: How do you scent your home?

A: I shower regularly and so does my girlfriend and son, combined with some cooking that is all the smell we need.

Q: What's your favorite object at home?

A: My favorite objects are my Nike Air Force 1 snowboard boots. They are possibly the coolest thing ever.

Q: Where do you source furniture in Shanghai?

A: Shanghai is really bad for home furniture. Designer furniture is ridiculously expensive when compared with the price elsewhere. I usually buy stuff from factories or suppliers I work with or go to the guy selling furniture pieces on Jiashan Road; sometimes he has nice junk.