When we first saw H&P House, she was a messy construction with many architectural details that are not in agreement with one another. Her elevation was a collective of shapes and materials in contradictory languages, yet she carried a beautiful breath of old times past, with sentimental attachments and memorabilia. With the overall surrounding space comprising old, rundown, chaotic constructions, she was a forgotten archive in a golden land right in the heart of Saigon.
The space needed to be more airy, something simple and elegant yet would still keep the old soul of the house. She needed a deeper dialogue with her surroundings. After having carefully reviewed the whole site, especially the antique furniture, we decided to keep almost everything and only made necessary renovations and changes for a better unified entirety. The problem immediately had a solution, which lied in the strong contrast of black and white, new and old, antique and modern. All harmonized in a brighter reunification, new yet familiar.
By keeping the old memories within a new cover, the house also transformed herself into a gratitude offering to the ancestors.
