Why do people buy a house? Simply put, to make a home. And to furnish a modern home, decorations and arrangements are necessary. The decoration should have a style, right? Rustic, modern, western, crazy, and so on. Some people would say: “You are out! Why follow the trend? Let's make waves.” Drum roll please, this season's wave makers – who have set off a small whirlwind of four-wheeled fashionable lifestyle – are a couple who have made their gorgeous debut to the area of home furnishings that are wheelchair-friendly, barrier-free, and self-designed!

House owner profile:

Male owner, A Nan, has a spinal cord injury, races bicycles, and is skilled in using a wheelchair.

Female owner, Wu Lala, has a spinal cord injury, owns a small shop, and talks about international trade.

House profile: small high-rise residential, 120m2, in the pattern of the flat Chinese character “田” (tian); two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom and one balcony.

Home decoration philosophy: A self-designed, barrier-free, and fashionable house that allows one to enjoy a fully independent, unaccompanied and happy home life.

House furnishing testimonials: This entirely barrier-free house is designed and furnished by the two of us, with complete convenience and freedom. To us, the greatest happiness is the ability to take care of ourselves!

The living room: bold and simple

The furniture stands against the wall, without any coffee tables, stools, or a couch. Only a small wheelchair is enough. All the furniture is self-designed and made on-site by master carpenters. Cabinet doors are not convenient for wheelchairs, so most of the furniture has sliding drawers, and only a few have doors with large-angle hinges.

Oh, but don't wheelchairs require furniture with low profiles? Why are there wall cupboards? Well, it fits well with the cabinets and refrigerator, so its function is not only decorative, but also as a place to store seldom-used stuff. Being high is not the problem, because there are poles to fetch stuff. The door that leads to the master bedroom and the extra bedroom is a custom-made sliding door that's easy to open and close. And the door has been widened, so the wheelchair passes without problems.

Master bedroom: warm and cozy

Yes, the bed is special, with trunks that contract inwards and two corners at the foot of the bed. Is the bed pretending to be cute? Actually, the trunk beds contract to give room for the feet and the wooden corners keep the mattress still, allowing for greater freedom of movement when climbing on and off from a wheelchair. Oh, but something seems to be missing? Where’s the dressing mirror for people to admire themselves? Presto! The mirror pulls out and is hidden inside the wardrobe for both convenience and space saving.

Extra bedroom: Setting a style of one's own

This room functions as a guest room, as well as a “PT” room. Well, we know what a guest room is, but what is a “PT” room? Oh, the “PT” room functions as a rehabilitation room for physical therapy and physical recovery. There’s also entertainment while training. Look, the TV stand on the wall can also hold an iPad.

Kitchen: Open and Unimpeded

An open kitchen makes getting in and out convenient, but what about grease and smoke? There is a kitchen ventilator, as well as a low-profile kitchen sink and oven with free space below allowing wheelchairs to come close without obstruction. And cooking is also easy. With a water purifier installed, one is spared the trouble of lifting heavy bottled water. A dining table also stretches out from the wall. Without the impediment of table legs, one can approach the dining table from all angles and comfortably enjoy the tasty food.

Bathroom: Compact and Practical

The push and pull glass door directly faces the bottom-empty washbasin, with the towel rack at exactly the same height on the right. The toilet on the left can be approached after the wheelchair enters the room and turns a little left. Handrails on both sides of the toilet are installed into the wall, with one fixed and the other turned upward, which allows for safe and easy movement. The toilet also works as a bath chair, with a bath heater installed above the head. The drawer-type shower nozzle on the marble cabinet can also be inserted into a holder on the wall for hands-free use.

Balcony: Integrated Washing and Drying

On the left is a small washbasin with a mini water heater and an inclined roller washing machine. In the middle is a hand-operated, lift-type clothesline pole for drying clothes. The left has side-wall balcony cabinets. The washing and drying of all clothes can be done with the wheelchair rolling freely around inside the small balcony.

What's seen is high-end, high-grade and bold, while what's left unseen is also deeply thoughtful and well intentioned. For example, the waterways are all inside the wall, with circuits that are double controlled. The no-partition doors in the balcony and windows are also double-layered. There is floor heating instead of radiator heating, and the fireplace and air conditioners are all wall-mounted. Things like these are too numerous to mention one by one. All these things have been designed to facilitate the usage of wheelchairs since the beginning of the inspection, measurement, and design of the house. Once the video of the house decoration comes out, the winds of barrier-free, self-designed home décor will blow.

Some people “make waves” and some “make trouble.” No matter the person or the type of home décor, there's a desire to turn a house into a cozy and comfortable home. Even with a disability, the same expectations can be realized in another way. Is there a glimmer of fire burning at the bottom of your heart this winter? You can learn from these innovations. Your house is your call. And with a little passion and action, you can also have barrier-free home decorations!