Measuring 180 × 250 centimetres, the large-scale painting is an unusually rich and intensely coloured work by the artist. Hong Ling has described his creative process as an exploration of shifting rhythms between light and darkness—not an attempt to reproduce objective light, but to create a visual realm shaped by contrasts in brightness, rhythm, and perception, with the artist acting almost as a director.

Having withdrawn to the Huangshan Mountains for two decades beginning in the 1990s, Hong Ling transformed what he observed in nature into an inner landscape. In 《亂紛秋色》, the result is a monumental composition that can appear at once like trees seen at close range and an expansive autumn forest viewed from above.

There is an intriguing parallel here with the ideas of Five Dynasties painter Jing Hao, whose writings on landscape painting explored the possibility of moving beyond brushwork itself in pursuit of a more profound sense of the true landscape.

That idea resonates not only with the artwork, but also with the stone backdrop C10 Design created for it.

When Hsieh first encountered this textured “極光” Granite at CHENHOW MARBLE, he immediately envisioned it in the residence.

“The painting is saturated with colour, and its lines and colour fields are extremely expressive. Its artistic language is already very rich, so the material behind it needed to provide a sense of stability. At the same time, its depth and presence couldn’t be too weak in comparison with the scale and power of the artwork.”

Wallpaper, he felt, would not provide enough visual weight. Yet a stone with overly figurative or dramatic veining could compete with the painting.

Quiet and restrained, the stone becomes a stage upon which the artwork can command the spotlight.

The television wall, meanwhile, is concealed behind a motorised curtain of thin panels. When closed, the technology disappears from view. Entering from the foyer, the eye is drawn immediately towards 《亂紛秋色》, establishing the painting as the undisputed protagonist of the living room.

Image / Textured “極光” Granite creates a feature wall for the homeowner’s artwork.

Drawing inspiration from rolling clouds and the ridgelines of the Datun Mountains, C10 Design introduced a slatted feature above the round dining table to soften the visual impact of a structural beam. Its layered rhythm transforms the image of overlapping mountain ranges into an architectural gesture that reduces the sense of compression overhead.

The homeowner’s beloved Minotti seating, purchased more than a decade ago, adds another layer of flexibility. Individual pieces can stand alone, face one another, or be rearranged into a longer sofa when three generations of the family gather together.

Whether looking across the room or sitting face to face, the family can move from contemplating the brilliant autumn colours of the painting to watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks illuminate TAIPEI 101 outside the windows.

Each shift in perspective reflects the understanding C10 Design and the homeowners have built over many years—and another scene in the landscape of life they have created together for this home.

A: Choosing stone is highly subjective. I usually begin by identifying stone suppliers whose collections are likely to suit the character of the client’s home, and then accompany the homeowners to visit them one by one.

During the selection process, we don’t try to dominate the decision. Instead, we offer professional observations about colour, texture, pattern, and the atmosphere created by each stone.

Interior design is an extremely demanding profession, and under that pressure it can be easy for designers to fall into the habit of repeating familiar styles. Working with natural stone, where every pattern and formation is different, can stimulate new ideas and open up possibilities we might not otherwise have considered.

Image / Stone transforms the curved staircase of a luxury residence into a rhythmic transition between spaces.

Q: How can designers make the most of stone and its inherent characteristics?
A: Many consumers have long assumed that stone is necessarily an expensive building material, but I think that perception needs to be reconsidered. Some tiles and large-format porcelain products are not necessarily less expensive than natural stone.

There is a reason internationally renowned galleries, museums, and other major public spaces continue to use stone extensively. Natural stone possesses an inherent sense of substance and value. Its patterns are formed by nature, creating a connection to the natural world that manufactured materials cannot fully replicate.

Imagine a building displaying great works of art with every surface covered in imitation stone tiles. The sense of presence and impact would inevitably be diminished.

Stone can also be maintained over time through refinishing, repair, and restoration, giving it the potential to remain in use for generations.

From a designer’s perspective, exceptional stones—particularly those regarded as Luxury Stone—often derive their distinctive character from unusual crystalline structures and natural patterns.

Bookmatching inevitably results in some material loss and can significantly increase fabrication and installation costs. Yet the extraordinary compositions created through this process are precisely one of the reasons homeowners are drawn to Luxury Stone.

If preserving every piece of material becomes more important than the continuity of the pattern, and slabs are simply assembled without regard for how their veining connects, then using a manufactured stone-look surface from the beginning may be the more practical choice.

Through thoughtful bookmatching, however, natural stone can reveal imagery reminiscent of mountains and rivers, butterflies, bats, or wings unfolding in flight. These naturally occurring compositions can carry symbolic associations of beauty and good fortune, transforming the home into a setting for an artwork that only nature could create.


Q: What sets CHENHOW MARBLE apart?
A: CHENHOW MARBLE was the first stone supplier we encountered that transformed the traditional stone yard into a true showroom, making the entire experience much more comfortable.

Displaying slabs vertically allows you to understand the character and presence of a stone at a glance, while still making it easy to step closer and examine its patterns and textures in detail.

More importantly, homeowners can immediately imagine what that slab might look like standing vertically in their own home. For designers, it also provides a much clearer starting point for thinking about how the material might be used. That is something I find particularly valuable.

CHENHOW MARBLE also offers a wide selection of distinctive stones. Sometimes we arrive with a particular colour, pattern, or character in mind, only to discover something completely unexpected. Clients at the luxury end of the market do not want to walk into someone else’s home and find the same design or the same materials they selected for their own. They entrust their homes to C10 Design because they are looking for something bespoke.

In that sense, our philosophy has much in common with the distinctive patterns of natural stone. No two are exactly alike. Each is, in its own way, a unique creation shaped by nature. And that idea of creating something genuinely individual for every client is precisely why we entered the world of design in the first place.