【A Worry-free Retirement Home Design】
「家」陪伴我們走過人生不同階段，當我們年輕時，它為我們帶來活力，是最好的避風港；當我們到了退休年齡，慢慢放下急速腳步，開始新的階段，陪伴我們走過數十載的家也需要一個轉變，讓它能繼續陪伴我們過新生活模式。 這個位於沙田帝堡城、實用面積約780呎的單位，會為我們演繹「如何讓房子和你一起過舒適無憂的退休生活」。 "Home" is our best companion throughout the different stages of life. When we are young, it provides us with the best shelter and surrounds ourselves with the energy to pursue our goals. When we retire, we begin to slow down our pace and start a new phase of life. Our house that has been with us for decades also needs a change so that it can continue to walk and grow with us for the rest of our journey in life. This 780 sq ft unit in Castello will show you how to design a house into a comfortable and worry-free environment that allows you to spend your retirement life.
單位主人是一對非常恩愛的夫妻，希望新居能提供一個安全、容易打理和耐用的環境讓他們過休閒舒適的退休生活。所以，這設計的顏色和物料比較講究，有較多特別訂製、具備功能和美觀性的傢俱。
This house owners are a lovely couple who wanted their new home to provide a safe and easy to maintain environment while being timeless in design. Therefore, this design is more sophisticated in terms of colours and materials. It has more tailor-made furniture that has a balance between function and form.
一進門，我們看到一個特別開揚的客飯廳。除了因為整個空間的用色是以自然明亮的大自然色系為主之外，近門口飯廳部分的牆身以鏡舖砌，虛與實的視覺效果擴大空間感之餘，配合合適角度的燈光設置，也大大的提升了環境的明亮度。
Let's take a look into their house. When we open the door, we can see a very bright and open dining area. In addition to the natural bright colours used throughout the design, the walls of the dining area near the entrance are covered with mirrors, providing the illusion of enlarging the space. Together with the right lighting setting, It greatly enhances the brightness of the space.
這個項目，設計師在結構上的改動不多，以優化空間為主。單位原有兩個睡房，應屋主需要，他們希望每位到訪的客人或傭人姐姐都能夠擁有一個私人的舒適空間作休息，所以設計師保留了一主一客房的設定。再考量到空間足夠的條件下，我們也利用落地櫃的方法把客房一分為二，加建了一間獨立書房。利用量身定做的傢俱做間隔牆的好處是省下了結構牆的厚度，擴大了使用空間，櫃的功能性亦非常靈活。間隔落地櫃加上書房本身的高身書櫃，兩邊提供了大量的儲物空間。整個書房都採取有門的設計，方便屋主清潔。櫃裡面也安裝了暖管，因為帝堡城臨近山林，濕氣比較重，暖管設計可以讓櫃內物品保持乾爽及防潮。
For this project, the designer did not make many changes to the structure but, mainly focused on enhancing the space using design principles. There were originally two bedrooms in the unit. The owners wanted every guest or house helpers to have a private and comfortable place to rest. So, the designer kept the setting of one master bedroom and one guest bedroom. Considering that there is enough space we also divided the guest room into two by using a full height built-in cabinet as a partition to build a separate study room. The advantage of using tailor-made furniture as partition walls is that you erase the need to have a traditional wall, making the space bigger. The 'partition cabinet' together with the tall bookcase which are also designed to be easily cleaned with doors in the study room provides plenty of storage space. Heating pipes are also installed in the cabinet because Castello in Shatin is built near the mountains with relatively high humidity. The heating pipes can keep the items inside dry and moisture-free.
睡房和浴室是兩位客人的私人休息空間。浴室方面，設計師考慮到主、客浴室的使用度不同而稍微調整了內部的設定。兩位客人希望設計能考慮到年紀增長的需求變化，因此設計師為主浴室安裝了全方位的扶手，照顧了退休屋主的將來需要。客廁則走深色系的簡約現代風，俐落的設計方便屋主們日常清潔，深色也相對較耐看。客廁的儲物空間也比較多，洗臉盤下面的儲物間隔使用了趟門的設計而不是一般的抽屜，因為是應屋主的要求，希望可以擺放較大的物件，例如：洗衣籃，盡量減少過多物件外露。客廁的沐浴空間採用浴缸設計，因為主浴室是淋雨式，設計師希望能夠提供多一個沐浴方法給屋主選擇。沒有客人時候，這個空間也可以用作日常晾衣服。
The bedroom and the bathroom are the private resting area for the two owners. The designer adjusted the internal settings slightly in terms of different usage of the guest and master bathroom. The two owners hope that the design can take into account their changing needs of their age. The designer installed handrails on all sides of the master bathroom to take care of their future needs of the two retired owners. Oppositely, the guest bathroom is using a minimal modern design with dark colours as the main theme. It is easier for them to clean and providing a higher durability. We also provide a large storage space in the guest toilet. For example, the sink cabinet, we decided to use a sliding cabinet door to replace the tradition drawer design becausee it allows the owner to place larger objects inside, such as a laundry basket. It helps to minimise the exposure of two many objects placed outside while providing a safer environment. The guest bathroom has a bathtub design because, the master bedroom has a shower. It can provide an additional bathing option. When there are no guests, this space can also be used as a laundry.
主人睡房方面，我們特別注意床頭的設計。在床的兩側都擺置了床頭櫃，方便兩位屋主放置一些隨身的藥物和儀器。床頭板是嵌入式設計，達到無縫的效果，原意是方便打理、不容易卡塵埃。旁邊的衣櫃，設計師特意安裝了門把，方便屋主有需要時可以當扶手用。櫃裡面也安裝了平安鐘，有緊急情況可以直接聯繫管理處。
For the master bedroom, we paid special attention to the design of the bedside table. There are two beside tables on each side of the bed, which are convenient for both owners to put medicine or other objects. The headboard is recessed into the wall to achieve a seamless look, which allows ease of cleaning. For the closet, the designer has kept the door handles so that they can be used as handrails when needed. Additionally, there is a Care-on-Call bell installed inside the closet which contacts the property management office in case of emergency.
一般人想到安全就會聯想到很多輔助的儀器或設施，往往忽略了細微的部分，破壞了美觀和功能性之間的平衡。除了一些必要的專業器材，安全也可以從設計角度出發。設計師在帝堡城項目花了不少心思去提高安全性，設計中的棱棱角角都以圓角取代；電線透過傢俬設計，整齊地收藏起來，以免外露而造成潛在危險。我們希望為客人想到最細微的每一步，讓設計能陪伴他們走更長遠的路。
When people think of safety, they will think of big machines and unappealing design, and often ignore the subtleties which can clash with the overall aesthetic of the design. In addition to the necessary professional equipments, safety can also be approached from a designers perspective. The designers have put a lot of thought and effort into improving the overall safety of this project, such as replacing sharp angles with rounded corners; the electrical wires are neatly installed behind the furniture designs to avoid any potential dangers. We hope to think of the smallest step for out guests, so that the design can accompany them on their journey in life.