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Green Island in the Concrete Desert

It’s been three years since Christof and Kristin came to Beijing. Now, settled in a Central Beijing tower of concrete and steel, they are trying their best to create their own green island on which to live.

The German couple lives in SOHO Xiandaicheng (SOHO New Town), along Tonghuihe Beilu near Xi Dawang Lu in the Beijing Central Business District. To their north is Dong Jianguo Lu, along which massive new commercial centres are rising such as the Wanda Plaza and Shin Kong Place. To their west, the new BTV Centre tickles the heavens. But when you enter Christof and Kristin’s home, you enter a garden-like landscape beautifully merged with traditional Chinese furniture and contemporary art works.

“Now that we are in China, we want traditional Chinese elements in our home,” said Christof.

The couple’s appreciation of Chinese style is reflected in nearly every corner of their house—the potted plant in front of the ceiling to ground window in the living room, a wooden dining table with benches that remind of another time in China when large families dined together. After climbing wooden stairs to their attic, you discover modest-looking stools and sculptures in different corners.

Pointing at a wooden box that is used to store DVDs, Christof said, “We found this box and many other Chinese-style furnishings by ourselves at the Panjiayuan antiques market: some of them are expensive, but most are not. I like every piece very much.”

A creative director in an advertising company, Kristin is obsessed with contemporary Chinese art. Many of the drawings on the couple’s walls were selected at the Songzhuang artists’ village and in the 798 Art District. But the most modern work in the house may be the wall that is covered with doodles, a collection of ideas that resulted from the brainstorms of Kristin and her colleagues.

“That could also be some kind of modern art, I guess,” said Christine.

“Modernity conveys a feeling of coolness, while traditional stuff makes you feel warm and nice,” Christof said. “When you combine the two, you get a feeling of home.”

Christof and Kristin have spent three months trying to create the “right” feeling. They don’t like the fully decorated American or Italian style apartments in the capital, which they find too staid and official. Ultimately, they settled on an empty space that they could make their own.

And that’s how they created their inner-city paradise: bit-by-bit, on their own. From stools and tables to the coach in the living room, lots of things were designed by Kristin and crafted by Chinese carpenters. The process took more than six months and is still going on.

“We often move the furniture during the weekends when an inspiration sparkles, so we can create a fresh feeling. Life is always full of surprises and possibilities,” Kristin said.°°

Everything that has aided the transition from an empty apartment to a home has become indispensable. Christof and Kristin are so attached to their treasures that they said they’ll take everything with them when they leave Beijing, if possible.

But after being surrounded by forest parks and lawns when living in Germany, Christof and Kristin also treasure their intimate relation with their plants in Beijing. Green is the dominant colour of this cosy space: dozens of plants, small and large, blossom in every nook and cranny creating a comforting and relaxing atmosphere, like a garden on a terrace.

“It’s not an easy job to take care of these plants. Just watering them everyday takes an hour and a half,” Christof said in a plant lover’s complaint. “Some of them withered at the beginning, because we were not familiar with their nature. But now, seeing them thriving, we feel every drop of sweat is worth it.”