Expats

Less is more

By Alexandra Leyton Espinoza (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-17 09:27

Spaniard Borja Tena Prado has turned his Beijing apartment into the perfect bachelor pad.

The penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side of the Lido area is just 10 minutes from Sanlitun and has a spacious rooftop terrace that must be perfect for parties.

The 30-year-old man, who works for a car company in the capital, studied design and engineering in England and Germany.

"Although I don't work as a designer in Beijing, I practice what I've learnt in my apartment." Tena said.

"I have been very lucky finding this place.

"The area was newly built when I moved in and I have been able to stamp my mark. I hope I am able to make it even more beautiful in the coming years."

He rented the apartment two years ago, and the first thing that grabs the visitor's attention is the Ferrari red cloth on the pool table. It provides a strong contrast to the white wall on its left.

On the right, there's a red wall, near stairs that lead to the roof terrace. A side table next to the main door is adorned with small candles and ideally placed to throw the car keys.

The red color gives the living room a relaxing atmosphere, but the mood changes as light breaks in from the window on other side of the room.

In addition, Tena has chosen a leather sofa in different shades of brown, and a leather couch in ivory white. The furniture is bought in Beijing."You can find unique furniture pieces and mix them up," said Tena.

"I have tried to mix white and brown in the lounge with quality leather. This gives the room a luxurious feel."

Situated on the top floor of an 11-story building, the apartment feels like a boutique hotel. It has floor to ceiling windows that also make up part of the roof, and offer stunning views of Chaoyang Park and at night, of the stars.

"At night I can lie on the sofa and look at the stars," Tena said. "Having this view over the park calms me down. I can chill out and take time away from Beijing's concrete jungle."

Among other unique features is a large banana tree, purchased from Laitai flower and plant market, that consumes an entire corner of the lounge room. A piece of carved teca wood from Bali is placed on the floor next to the tree.

"I wanted to have an exotic piece, this was basically the tallest and coolest plant the market had. I can eat the bananas, they are very sweet," Tena said. "The teca wood not only makes the plant look good, but also protects the floor by catching the water and tree leaves," Tena said.

Among other personal touches is a plastic doll made by Tena's friend, Spanish artist Judas Arrieta, on the glass stairs leading to the terrace.

He said he purposely chose not to hang any pictures on the white walls, but will soon have a painting of the sunset arrive from Spain.

"I like the motto, 'less is more'. I like clear walls and clean floors. I have pictures but not on display," Tena said.

There is also minimal decoration in Tena's bedroom, which features only a bed, two Chinese traditional chairs and a red Chinese-style drawer, on top of which is placed a Swedish Ericsson telephone from the 1960s - a gift from Tena's grandmother.