Press Release
Urban Zen Residence by Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou recognized for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Urban Zen Residence by Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou, designed for MUSA International Design Interior Decoration Co., Ltd., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Urban Zen Residence
Urban Zen is a residential interior design for a home of 115.7 square meters in Taiwan. The project combines modern city living with Japanese Zen aesthetics. A snow-viewing window with adjustable openings controls daylight and framed views. A tatami room offers a quiet place for guests and meditation. Warm wood tones are lighter in the living and dining rooms and darker in the bedrooms. Materials include formaldehyde-free cabinets, calcium silicate panels, solid wood and high-pressure laminate. A pet walkway and a tree are built between the cabinets for the resident cat.
About Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou
We specialize in creating distinctive residential and commercial spaces, offering professional guidance throughout the process. Our services include on-site measurements, old house renovations, pre-sale layout customization, new home interior design, and commercial space remodeling. We specialize in creating distinctive residential and commercial spaces, offering professional guidance throughout the process. Our services include on-site measurements, old house renovations, pre-sale layout customization, new home interior design, and commercial space remodeling.
Award Record
This recognition makes Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/174580
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174580
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174580
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/370886
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Urban Zen Residence
- Function
- Residence
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Saddle Brown, Silver, Dark Gray, Dim Gray and Rosy Brown
- Images
- 5
- Client
- MUSA International Design Interior Decoration Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Kai-Jung Chen and Tzu-Hsin Chou
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174580
Credits
- Team
- Kai-Jung Chen, Tzu-Hsin Chou
- Image Credits
- MUSA International Design Interior Decoration Co., Ltd.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The project integrates Japanese Zen aesthetics, especially the concept of yukimi. A snow-viewing window with adjustable openings creates shifting light and shadow; fully raised, it frames the snow outside, while lowered, it preserves calm serenity. A tatami room welcomes guests for meditation, offering a pure Zen retreat. Considering the owner's cat, designers embedded a pet walkway and a tree between cabinets. Laminated finishes ensure safety and ease of movement, blending feline comfort with spatial design and fostering harmony between people and pets.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration comes from the owners' love of the Japanese Zen style, especially their appreciation of the culture and style when they traveled to Japan. As a result, the designers aimed to create a residence that combines urban modernity with Japanese Zen style, allowing the owners to enjoy a vacation-like atmosphere at home. Iconic elements such as grilles, wood grain, Yukimi windows, and tatami mats make the space aesthetically pleasing yet functional and pet-friendly.
- Research
- Titled Urban Zen, the project is a customized renovation reflecting the owner's preference for Japanese aesthetics. Drawing from Zen wood patterns and totems, the designers created an elegant, harmonious atmosphere. Elements such as sequential grilles and delicate window motifs echo Yukimi's casual style, blending simplicity with warmth. Neutral tones welcome daylight, while open social areas frame unobstructed views. Built-in cabinets integrate pet-friendly features, allowing daily life and serenity to coexist, slowing the city's pace within a tranquil, Zen-inspired home.
- Challenge
- Most furniture and fixtures were custom-made, including windows and tatami mats. The designers coordinated closely with carpenters to align schedules and ensure precision. Uneven wall surfaces required careful adjustments, especially during window installation, to prevent issues such as handle collisions. As the owners' ideas were initially unclear, the designers guided them through discussions to articulate their needs. This process ensured that practical solutions, aesthetic details, and the final atmosphere aligned with the owners' vision.
- Realization and Technology
- The project adopts eco-friendly materials, including formaldehyde-free system cabinets, calcium silicate panels, tawny mirrors, solid wood, and high-pressure laminate. Warm wood tones define the palette: lighter shades in social areas like the living and dining rooms enhance openness and brightness, while darker tones in bedrooms foster calm and focus. Solid wood, left unpainted, ensures cat-friendly safety by reducing ingestion risks. The overall materiality balances aesthetics, sustainability, and harmonious living with pets.
- Operation and Interaction
- Owners give very positive feedback on the project. In particular, they appreciate the Japanese Zen style of modern living. The simplicity and calmness of the Japanese style can be felt in every corner of the home. Both the decoration and the functionality are very well thought out. When the windows are open, one can see the breeze, and when the windows are closed, one can enjoy the tranquility. For a cat-loving family, the designers skillfully integrated the cat's activity area into the design, allowing the cat to move freely in all spaces and increasing the cozy atmosphere.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project finished in May 2024 in Taiwan.
- Specifications
- The site is 115.7 square meters. There are three rooms: a living room, a dining room, and two bathrooms, including a master bedroom, a second bedroom, and a study room. In terms of layout changes, the designers changed the original rectangular kitchen into an L-shape to increase space and functionality. The living room and dining room were also reconfigured to better suit the owner's lifestyle. In the private area, each room has a window and is in a dark tone, with acoustic curtains to create a serene atmosphere.
- Keywords
- Japanese design, Zen style, Yukimi windows, grilles, wood tones, pet-friendly, customized remodeling
