Only Two People Live In This Home. Its Design Tells A Bigger Story

by Erin Miller on
A modern living room with a large gray sectional sofa, a floor-to-ceiling stone-look feature wall, and sliding glass doors overlooking green trees. The open layout brings natural light into this contemporary home in Taiwan.

Float Design Studio designed this modern home in Taiwan for a man and his mother, but the two aren’t the only people its rooms need to accommodate. His siblings occasionally return to visit, and his own family circumstances may change in the future. Named Unfinished by Design, the three-bedroom home was planned to accommodate the people living there today while leaving space for those who might become part of it later.

A Shared Living Space Beyond the Dark Entrance

The experience of entering the home begins in a dark hallway, where deep-colored wood cabinets, textured walls, and subdued lighting create an enclosed atmosphere. Moving further inside reveals a much brighter living room, making the transition between the entrance and shared living spaces an intentional part of the design.

A dark modern entryway with wood cabinetry, built-in display shelves, and a charcoal ceiling. The narrow hallway opens toward a bright living room, creating a dramatic contrast between the two spaces.

The living room, dining area, and kitchen form the main gathering spaces, with few solid walls separating them. Large windows overlook the surrounding trees, while polished surfaces reflect daylight and greenery throughout the interior. This open arrangement allows family members to spend time together without needing to be in the same part of the room.

An open-plan living and dining room featuring a large gray stone-look dining table, upholstered chairs, and contemporary sectional seating. A light-colored interior palette creates a spacious feel, with the kitchen visible beyond the dining area.
A contemporary living and dining room with a gray sectional sofa, polished tile flooring, and large glass doors overlooking leafy trees. The open-plan arrangement places the dining table beside the living area.

The floor plan also shows how the home separates its shared spaces from the bedrooms. The living and dining areas occupy one side, while a series of passages leads to the more private rooms. This arrangement gives everyone access to the communal spaces while allowing each bedroom to serve a different purpose.

Floor plan of a modern three-bedroom home in Taiwan, showing the open-plan living, dining, and kitchen areas alongside the private bedrooms, study, and walk-in closet.

A Bedroom Designed for More Than Sleeping

The owner’s bedroom is part of a larger private suite that includes a study and walk-in closet. Deep blue wall panels behind the bed distinguish it from the lighter communal spaces, while openings between the rooms allow the different areas to function as a connected part of the home.

A modern bedroom featuring a deep blue upholstered accent wall, a gray padded headboard, and warm bedside lighting. Large windows overlook mature trees, while an opening beside the bed leads toward an adjoining study.
A contemporary bedroom with deep blue wall panels, a low storage cabinet, and an abstract painting. An opening reveals the adjoining dressing area, showing how the bedroom connects with other private spaces.

The adjoining study has a desk positioned between two openings, with glass doors, display cabinets, and shelving providing space for work and personal collections. The connected dressing area takes inspiration from a tailoring studio, with open clothing rails, glass-fronted storage, and a dressing table. Together, these rooms allow the owner to move between working, dressing, and sleeping without having to return to the home’s shared living areas.

A modern home office featuring a wood desk positioned against a large stone-look feature wall, a comfortable chair, and a table lamp. Glass doors on either side create connections to adjoining rooms.
A contemporary home office with illuminated glass-fronted cabinets, wood storage, and a dark stone-look backsplash. Built-in display shelving provides space for books, decorative objects, and personal collections.
A modern walk-in closet with dark glass-fronted wardrobes, open wood shelving, and a built-in dressing table with a large mirror. A circular rug and upholstered stool complete the dressing area.

A Different Approach to the Mother’s Bedroom

While the owner’s suite has darker colors and several connected spaces, his mother’s bedroom takes a different approach. Soft beige and warm neutral finishes create a lighter atmosphere, with a window-side daybed providing an additional place to sit, read, or spend time with visiting family members.

A warm neutral bedroom with light wood flooring, a padded headboard, and a built-in window seat overlooking the trees. Glass-fronted wardrobes and soft beige furnishings create a comfortable, contemporary interior.
A modern bedroom with a built-in daybed beneath a large window, light wood flooring, and glass-fronted wardrobes. Soft neutral fabrics and concealed ceiling lighting add warmth to the space.

The room also addresses practical needs that aren’t immediately apparent in the photographs. Smooth flooring, straightforward paths through the room, and storage and fittings at accessible heights are intended to make everyday activities easier. These features are incorporated into a conventional-looking bedroom, allowing comfort and accessibility to be part of the design without becoming its defining appearance.

A contemporary bedroom storage wall featuring floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted wardrobes, built-in drawers, and a window-side daybed. The arrangement combines clothing storage with a comfortable place to sit beside the window.

A Bedroom for Family Members Who Come Back

One of the most interesting decisions in the home involves a bedroom that doesn’t have a permanent occupant. Although the owner’s siblings now live elsewhere, a separate room has been maintained for them when they visit. It gives returning family members their own place to stay without requiring the household’s existing bedrooms to be rearranged.

A modern guest bedroom with a simple upholstered bed, an open clothing storage system, and soft gray walls. Black metal shelving and hanging rails provide space for visiting family members' belongings.

The room has an understated design, with open clothing rails and simple storage that can accommodate visitors’ belongings. A narrow vertical opening allows some daylight into the otherwise enclosed space, while the doorway provides a connection back toward the shared areas of the home. Its relatively simple arrangement also leaves room for the space to take on a different role if the family’s needs change.

A minimalist guest bedroom with gray upholstered bedding, open black metal clothing rails, white storage drawers, and a small illuminated table lamp. The simple arrangement provides a private sleeping space for visiting family.

The home’s flexibility comes from the way its rooms accommodate different people. The owner has space for work and privacy, his mother has a bedroom suited to her needs, and visiting siblings have somewhere to return to. By making room for these different circumstances, Float Design Studio has created an interior that can continue to serve the family as their lives change.

Design Studio: Float Design Studio | Designer: TSAI HUNG-HSING. CHANG YU-WEI. TSAI XIN-YUN