A Living Museum Housed in a Century-Old Building | Artist Kim Ye Plays with Light & Shadow Through Window Furnishings

Along the Suzhou Creek stands the century-old Riverside Building. Once home to international institutions and notable figures, the building bears witness to a hundred years of Shanghai’s stories. Visual artist Kim Ye has lived here for years and completed a personal reimagining of home.

Five years ago, his residence was an exuberant maximalist space. Today, he yearns for a serene, sustainable dwelling. Over five months of deconstruction and reconstruction, he has created an inhabitable art museum. The public zones are open and translucent while private areas feature rich, tranquil tones. LIDI smart window furnishings serve as the core thread weaving the entire space together.

Public Space | Light and Shadow Born from the Window

Past the entryway, a 2.4-meter central island connects the dining room, kitchen, living room and workspace.

LIDI Elegant Bound · Roman Shade (Dining Area) Boasting a simple and sleek silhouette, it forms crisp layered folds. The shade allows flexible adjustment of incoming light. When fully raised, it lies slim and flush against the window without occupying extra space. Diffused natural light gently flows into the dining room, balancing ample illumination with refined aesthetics.

Stepping into the living room, the original wooden beams and steel windows dating back to 1935 have been preserved. LIDI Elegant Bound Extra-Wide Roman Shades extend floor-to-ceiling. Custom-built for a nearly 7-meter wide span, they address both lighting control and aesthetic challenges for oversized windows. Their hue serves as the visual highlight of the room, endowing the living room with a powerfully expressive artistic ambience.

Private Realm | Fabric as Soft Boundary

Push open the double doors of the bedroom, and the space transitions from a bright gallery into a tranquil retreat.

LIDI Soft Bound · Deep Blue Velvet Curtain (Bedroom) 

Boasting a delicate, plush velvet texture, it delivers excellent sound absorption. Its deep hue carries an innate calming power. Serving as the soft partition between the bedroom and bathroom, it safeguards privacy when closed and opens up the spatial circulation when drawn back.

The bathroom adopts LIDI Soft Bound · Day & Night Honeycomb Blinds. The daytime layer filters soft light while preserving privacy, and the nighttime layer delivers complete blackout. The honeycomb cell structure provides heat insulation and noise reduction. The fabric is moisture-resistant and easy to maintain, well-suited to the humid bathroom environment.

Deep within the home, LIDI Soft Bound · Burgundy Velvet Curtain (Walk-in Wardrobe) unfurls gently. The rich, sophisticated Burgundy red endows the space with a strong sense of ritual, and the fabric features outstanding drapability. This mellow, intense red resonates perfectly with the new color palette aesthetic of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. When the curtain is closed, it encloses a private nook for solitude; when drawn open, the walk-in wardrobe connects to the secret studio, a haven for quiet time and creative inspiration.

Between Curtain Panels, Life and Art Coexist

Space renovation dissolves physical boundaries and strikes a balance between openness and privacy.

The public zones accommodate cooking, social gatherings and art collections, while private nooks serve for rest, reading and inspiration cultivation. With diverse fabrics and structures, LIDI smart window furnishings regulate light and define zones within this century-old building.

The historic building penned the first chapter of the story. Kim Ye continues the narrative through daily living. LIDI brings art into everyday life with curtains woven of light and shadow.

A home need not adhere to a single style; it is a vessel that holds the fullness of one’s self.