L A N E . H O U S E

I love this lane house off of Taixing Road in the Jingan district of Shanghai.  After days of looking at slick high-rise apartments as potential living spaces, we finally stumbled upon this newly renovated jewel.  Lane houses are completely vertical - this one is linked by an original dark wood stair that winds its way between 8 half levels.  We wondered, if living on this many levels, our family of three would be disconnected from each other.  Deep down, I was thrilled at the promise of endless trips up and down these stairs - sliding my hands along the smooth railing, feeling with my feet the worn noses of the treads which, after years of use, had all transformed into gentle curves.  As a new transplant to a part of the world that I had no history with, I thought that maybe engaging this old stair, living my life on the many different levels that it leads to, would ground me in my new home.

The other details of the house are beautiful too.  The leaded glass in the doors that lead to the private courtyard are reminiscent of the stair railing accents.  The rough tiled walls against the smooth white plaster weave together the textures of old and new.  The insertion of glass block and glass ceilings reflect natural light on the dark wood floors.  The slatted wood sliding doors of the master bedroom hide storage space and create a semi-transparent entry to the tucked away master bath.   

Alas, this is not the house in which we chose to live the next two yeas of our lives.  A different lane house in the quiet, construction free, tree lined streets of the former French Concession area - dotted with amazing boutiques, bars and restaurants - had a stronger calling.  But I think about this house often as it was the first place in Shanghai where I could picture our life clearly. We are so strongly connected to the places that we live and somehow, even though I am usually drawn to modern design, I love the history and architecture of old houses.