Designer Xia Fu transforms a Beijing residence using the Dutch artist's primary palette and geometric principles.

"Only an almost obsessive devotion to space can transform every hue into an emotional footnote," this shared philosophy between designer Xia Fu of Shangceng Design and her client Yi Shen (申怡) has formed the design backbone of this 6,458 sq.ft. Beijing residence, governed by Piet Mondrian's iconic visual language.

Shen, a renowned Chinese education specialist with four million online followers, needed a space that could accommodate her diverse lifestyle. She films educational programs, hosts live broadcasts, welcomes friends across generations, and treasures family time with her mother and daughter who lives abroad.

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a pioneering Dutch abstract artist who founded Neo-Plasticism, using only primary colors, black lines, and geometric grids to create pure visual harmony. His revolutionary approach transformed modern art and continues to influence architecture, design, and fashion today.

Fu adopted Mondrian's primary colours (red, yellow, and blue) as well as Shen's daughter's jewellery artistry as the visual theme. Geometric blocks of pure colour collide across the home, creating what Shen calls her life philosophy: "to distil complex existence into symbolic essences".

The spatial layout adapts organically to functional needs, eschewing rigid boundaries for fluid curves and Mondrian chromatic planes that naturally delineate zones. Upon crossing the threshold, a striking red spiral staircase commands attention, its smooth lines and rhythmic shapes forming a beautiful landscape that mirrors Shen's singular psyche.

Beneath the staircase, a family library features books arranged on elegant dark wood shelves with soft built-in lighting. "It serves multiple roles: as Ms. Shen's lectern for live broadcasts, a filming studio for reading lessons, a storytelling hub for neighbourhood children, and a moonlit sanctuary for Pilates meditation." Deep indigo cabinetry harmonises with walls clad in Mondrian's primary palette, achieving balance through a choreography of complexity and simplicity.

The ground floor accommodates Shen's 80-year-old mother during occasional stays. Sunlight streams through glass skylights, while the foyer's arc-shaped portal merges seamlessly into the living area, framing garden vistas. Klein Blue upholstery on the sofa harmonises with a sunshine-yellow coffee table – a direct nod to Mondrian's "Composition with Red Blue and Yellow" (1930).

Water droplet art installations symbolise "ripples of life", while cheetah figurines throughout embody Shen's deep affinity for the animals, infusing the interiors with untamed vitality. The mother's bedroom features delicate floral wallpaper with curvilinear details, transforming the room into a therapeutic sanctuary.

Upstairs, Fu transforms the second floor using the core philosophy of "nurturing evolving intimacy" between Shen and her daughter. The master bedroom establishes an elegant atmosphere with soft lavender tones, floral wallpaper, and abstract art. A separate room reserved for the daughter resembles an unfinished canvas, bathed in pale hues and poised for reinterpretation with each homecoming.

Through temporal pigments and chromatic brushstrokes, Fu inscribes the saga of three generations within these walls, where each member architects her own realm while sustaining others', just like Mondrian's intersecting grids.