Imagine a successful man profoundly touched by Thoreau’s Walden at a young age and never forgotten his dream to live a simple life close to nature, away from the urban hubbub. Now that achievement and recognition are attained, he recalls this dream, and therefore “Reflections by the River” is a dream come true.
“This was an airy and unplastered cabin, fit to entertain a traveling god, and where a goddess might trail her garments.” Through the layered screen door that acts as a curtain of clouds, one is greeted by the first view in the house—an abstract painting on the wall to take in the mist outside the window and begin a dialogue between the inner and outer worlds. A magical atmosphere is then created as the wind wafts through the hallway. Here, it is as if the fairies could descend upon us.
“Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.”
The marble floor, black as a mirror, lies as still as a quiet pond. The shimmering wall, on the other hand, glistens like stream waters that run shallow and slow. Time is meant to slow down in the space and even be forgotten.
“A cat walking along the stony shore of the pond, nevertheless the most domestic cat, appears quite at home in the woods.” The silver, gray patterns resembling rocks scatter across the entire house to provide anchor and bring solidity to the ambience. Meanwhile, the ceiling takes on the contour of distant mountains. The rhythmic undulation of rolling mountains soothes the heart. Once stepping inside the house, the owner should be able to relax like a cat that has found its home.
In this project, the interior design plays a secondary role to the landscape and artworks of the house, so that the house becomes an essay written by the owner, emanating poetry and eternal serenity.
