We don't have children, so the house is purely for the two of us
Other people want to make full use of the space, while we're "rebellious"
There's only one room, which is the master bedroom, in the 140-m2 three-storey house
Other space is designed for entertainment
My name is Xiangxiang, and I'm a Guangzhou native
I was born and grew up in Guangzhou
The old house is located in the old town of Guangzhou
It used to belong to my grandma
It boasts a Lingnan style
With a history of over 80 years old
The old house is full of love
Before the renovation, it was rented, containing 4-5 households
In the 1990s, the rent was only around 100 yuan per month
If the tenant couldn't afford the rent this month, we wouldn't force him or her to pay
They actually took care of the house for us
In 2012, the last tenant moved out
Then we took the old house back
With a brick-wood structure, the house was dilapidated at that time
The repairing and renovation took one and half a year
And during that process
We felt more and more attached to the house
The exterior walls use black bricks and tiles
The original grey tiles, glass tiles and screen are kept
And the Lingnan-style "Tanglong Door" as well
It's beautiful when the sun shines through the door
And down on the patterned floors
Several old objects are kept
Such as the switches and sockets
We chose the DINK lifestyle naturally, and we turn the love for kids to love for ourselves
We can pay more attention to ourselves and live in the moment
We didn't need to care about the area so much during the renovation
When we decided to enlarge the atrium, the construction workers thought it was a waste of space
We did it anyway
Our neighbors suggested how many rooms there should be
I said, "No, we only need one room"
The enlarged atrium extends up to the third floor to ensure the house is well-lighted with good ventilation
Even if it's stuffy in summer in Guangzhou, you can still feel breeze blowing through the living room
We focus on entertainment
There're the entrance, the living room and the kitchen on the first floor
The master bedroom on the second floor
And the study on the third floor
The public areas are open and connected
We can make some snacks here and some western drinks and food there
The living room is at a lower level than the area around
So the space is less monotonous, like an outdoor courtyard
The patio on the rooftop boasts a good view
It feels totally different living here compared to a commercial apartment
The pace of life here is slow, and I tend to forget time unconsciously
The sellers’ shouts suddenly bring me back to my childhood
The back atrium is near the washroom
It's a glass box extending up to the third floor
In rainy days, rain drops from the third floor down to the first floor, and the tree leaves shake
It's in accordance with the traditional concept "Sishui Guitang"
It's also a place we prepare for our elder years
Because it can be turned into an indoor lift
So it's more convenient to go upstairs and downstairs
In the future, we can live out our life in retirement in the house or together with our friends
Which I think is a very good way
In fact, even if you choose to be a parent
You will still spend your elder days with your partner
Young people are facing great pressure today
I think it's good
To live with friends of similar ages
We can take care of each other
It's very romantic to grow old together