Recently recognized as a 2026 Architizer A+Awards Jury Winner, this residence by Peny Hsieh Interiors rethinks light, circulation, and terrace living within an urban penthouse in Taipei.
The original apartment did not behave like a penthouse. Its ceilings were low, the layout was fragmented, daylight reached the rooms unevenly, and the terrace — despite its position above the city — remained exposed and rarely used. The project began by addressing these limitations directly, without hiding them behind decoration.
The studio’s response was to soften the home’s geometry. Walls, ceilings and transitions were treated as part of the same architectural gesture, reducing visual interruptions and creating a slower rhythm between spaces. A warm mineral finish wraps the main surfaces, giving the interior a tactile and grounded atmosphere. Together with a jointless grey floor, the material palette helps connect the two levels and allows the living, dining and kitchen areas to flow without hard separation.
At the center of the duplex, the staircase becomes the main spatial element. Its curved form connects the two floors while also guiding movement, views and light through the home. Rounded timber treads rise from a sculpted base toward a circular glass oculus above, bringing daylight deeper into the interior and creating a visual link between the upper and lower levels.
The oculus gives the apartment a clear center. Around it, the home opens and gathers. It allows the upper floor to remain connected to the spaces below, while giving the stair a sense of vertical calm within a compact structure.
The terrace was redefined as part of daily life rather than an occasional outdoor space. A lightweight pergola filters glare and heat, making the area more usable throughout the day. Low outdoor furniture keeps the atmosphere informal and relaxed, while the skyline of Taipei, including Taipei 101, remains present in the background.
Upstairs, the private areas are arranged around the oculus. An intimate lounge, a primary suite, and two bathrooms continue the same restrained language. The primary bathroom is pale and restrained, while the guest bathroom offers a darker, more enclosed atmosphere. Throughout the residence, furniture and lighting were selected to support the architecture rather than draw attention away from it.
The project’s material language remains deliberately limited: mineral surfaces, timber, muted tones and soft transitions. The intention was not to create contrast, but to make the home feel coherent, lived-in and carefully structured.
For Peny Hsieh Interiors, the project reflects a way of working that begins with a home’s existing condition. Instead of imposing a new image, the studio looks for the spatial logic already present in the project and reshapes it into a more balanced, functional and contemplative living environment.
Photography by Kuomin Lee.
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