SongMoon Homestay and Bookhouse by YID
Set between lake and forest in Lijiang, Yunnan, the project comprises two intertwined parts: a hilltop bookhouse and a homestay at the mountain’s base. While the architecture is inseparable from its setting, the interiors are where the project’s sensibility is most keenly felt—measured, grounded and attuned to slow occupation. Rather than seeking contrast, the interiors extend the character of stone, timber and filtered light already present in the surroundings.
The bookhouse sits lightly on the upper slope, anchored by a stone plinth and wrapped in timber above. Inside, the atmosphere is contemplative and spare. Large panes of glazing open the reading areas to distant water and drifting cloud, while deep eaves temper daylight, softening it into a constant presence rather than a spectacle. Timber ceilings and exposed structure lend warmth, counterbalanced by the cool density of stone walls underfoot and at the edges. Furniture is minimal and solid, encouraging stillness and extended use rather than movement through the building.
A small internal courtyard forms a pause within the bookhouse interior. Here, a single pine tree rises through an opening to the sky, bringing scent, shadow and seasonal change into the heart of the building. This moment anchors the interior emotionally, reinforcing the sense that reading, rest and observation are inseparable from the landscape beyond the walls.
Below, the homestay interiors draw from local Mosuo traditions while maintaining a contemporary restraint. Bedrooms and communal areas are arranged to open generously toward the mountain, with thresholds softened through semi-open zones beneath eaves and along terraces. These in-between areas moderate temperature and light, allowing interiors to remain calm and tactile throughout the day.
Material choices are deliberately limited. Rough stone walls, dark brick floors, reclaimed timber beams and linen textiles create a quiet consistency across rooms. Surfaces are left honest, carrying traces of age and use rather than polish. Timber frames articulate walls and ceilings with clarity, while iron details and fireplaces introduce weight and intimacy to shared interiors. The palette remains earthy and subdued, allowing the shifting light to provide variation.
A quiet interior retreat shaped by land and craft, SongMoon Homestay and Bookhouse by YID is embedded within the mountainous terrain of Lugu Lake, where material restraint and calibrated openings draw the landscape deep into daily life.
Light is treated as a primary interior element. It filters through latticework, slips beneath roof edges and settles across floors and walls, marking time without announcing it. Views are never framed as isolated moments; instead, they permeate bedrooms, corridors and sitting areas, so that the presence of mountain and lake is constant, even when doors are closed.
Throughout SongMoon, the interiors do not seek separation from their context. They offer shelter while remaining porous, allowing air, sound and light to pass freely. Chairs placed by windows, low tea tables on verandas and generous ledges for sitting encourage quiet occupation and reflection. Comfort here is not defined by excess, but by proximity to nature and the careful handling of material and proportion.
SongMoon Homestay and Bookhouse reads as a lived-in interior landscape rather than a destination. Stone, wood and light work together to create a home that supports rest and contemplation, where the boundaries between inside and outside are softened to the point of disappearance. It is an interior experience shaped by patience, memory and an enduring respect for place.
