A hutong is a narrow laneway or alleyway, in a tradtional residential area in Bejing, or other cities in China. And in the busy, dense city of Beijing, living in a traditional hutong house provides a unique and more authentic experience, compared to typical high rise-apartment living.
This cosy hutong house, where a traditional setting and modern living is combined, is home to Dan Epstein and Katrina Yu. The couple come from Cape Town and Sydney, respectively, and were previously living in an apartment elsewhere in Beijing for around a year and a half before moving into this place.
"The hutongs are a unique feature of Beijing which really capture the spirit of this city. You feel a sense of history and community walking through these old laneways," says Katrina on why they chose to move into a hutong house. Theirs, located within walking-distance to the Forbidden City, was built during the Qing dynasty and many of those architectural features still exist, she adds.
At the front of the house (you enter through the blue door; on the other side is a maze of alleys) is a courtyard-like outdoor area. Here, Dan loves cooking with the grill, and the couple host friends over for summer barbecue parties almost every weekend.
While plenty of Beijing hutong spaces tend to be old and run-down, without proper heating and air-conditioning, as well as plumbing, the couple were lucky to find one that provides them with modern comforts. They repainted all the walls, for a fresh look, but kept the exposed brickwork. Furnished with pieces from Ikea, Taobao — "like China's Amazon or Ebay," says Katrina — and second-hand furniture sourced through an expat community social media chat group, the home has a cosy, lived-in look.
As the living area doesn't get as much natural light as other areas of the house, they made sure to keep the colours fairly light. The sofa makes for a casual and comfy space for them to unwind in front of a movie, read or play the guitar.
The open kitchen, painted in a vibrant yellow, sees Katrina whipping up meals that are enhanced by home-grown herbs from the courtyard garden very frequently.
The only bathroom in the house (some hutong houses do not have attached bathrooms!) is accessed through the kitchen.
The house, functioning as both a home and office (they are both video journalists) is compact, but Dan and Katrina like that the space is very adaptable.
On sunny, clear-sky days, they open the courtyard garden doors fully, allowing the outdoors to be brought in. Also, the workspace area situated just by the doors easily transforms to become part of the dining and entertaining area, when the extendible dining table is lengthened.
A custom-made wooden dining table, from Katrina's first home in Beijing, finds its place in this home as a desk.
"Our house is difficult to find, but this gives it a tiny sense of mystery, and a lot of privacy. There's no window looking into our house from above or around us — so although we live in one of the busiest cities on the planet, stepping inside is like stepping into a little sanctuary," smiles Katrina.
The bedroom looks out into the courtyard garden, and has lots of natural light. It is simply furnished, for a restful feel.
Throughout the home, Dan and Katrina have displayed knick-knacks and decor objects that are sentimental to them, such as framed photos, travel souvenirs, art prints, as well as lots of plants.
All photos: Daniel Epstein and Katrina Yu.