Living Theater is a minimal home located in Beijing, China, designed by NOV.11 STUDIO. The designer’s approach to the “unity of materials” reveals a sophisticated understanding of how surfaces converse with one another. Beige artistic paint with handcrafted textures coats walls and ceilings, creating what the designer calls a “breathing sense” – spaces that expand and contract with daily rhythms. This textural dialogue continues underfoot, where custom carpeting forms a “gentle dialogue” with the walls, demonstrating how contemporary domestic environments can achieve depth through subtle tonal variations rather than dramatic contrasts.

The walnut wood finishes throughout the home serve as temporal anchors, their warm patina suggesting both natural origin and cultural lineage. This choice reflects a broader shift in Chinese residential design that balances modernist spatial planning with materials that carry historical resonance. The ancient wood pattern in the stone elements further enriches this material narrative, creating what Anandas describes as a “quiet and rich sense of time.”

The living room emerges as the conceptual center of what could be called a domestic theater. Here, the sofa becomes more than furniture – it transforms into a character in the family’s daily performance. The designer’s modification of an IKEA SODERHAMN model demonstrates a contemporary approach to design democracy – elevating accessible goods through thoughtful intervention. By changing the legs and repositioning cushions, the designer creates what might be seen as a post-consumer customization that challenges traditional notions of luxury while maintaining aesthetic integrity.

Perhaps most telling is the butterfly stool positioned in the living room corner. This classic design object – likely referencing Sori Yanagi’s iconic 1956 piece – stands “like a sculpture,” creating what the designer poetically calls “a pause” in the visual rhythm of the space. The inclusion of this historically significant form suggests an awareness of design lineage that connects this Beijing apartment to broader narratives of modern material culture.