Lofty pursuits

Published: 12:00am, 7 Sep 2008

New York meets Japan in this well-appointed bolt-hole with stylishly raw touches.

Lofts were once favoured by arty types attracted to simple, open spaces rather than pricey, polished finishings - but not any more. Attaining the bare, sometimes brutal look can now require extra effort and expense, especially for homeowners who desire interiors that meld raw expanses with high-end touches.

Take Michael Yen, who spent more than five years searching for the ideal home. After viewing hundreds of apartments he found a 3,300 sq ft flat in Tai Hang that allowed him to create a minimalist but well-appointed refuge for him and his family.

'During the search my needs changed,' says Yen, who married three years ago and whose children with wife Annabelle are under two. Despite the different requirements, however, he still wanted a 'New York-style' loft, which he associates with his profession. In fact, Yen, who owns an advertising agency, is such a fan he works out of a loft-like office.

To achieve what he wanted he turned to old friend Caroline Ma, who, with husband Jason Yung, runs Jason Caroline Design (www.jasoncarolinedesign. com). 'Because I'm in advertising I understand how important the brief is, so I went to them with a pile of notes,' says Yen, who loves Japanese design. 'I told them exactly what I needed and had them build in lots of storage areas because I prefer everything to be put away neatly.'

The result is an airy, uncluttered expanse with traces of Japan, unfinished touches, wood flooring, black furniture and unfettered luxury. Red-brick walls, in the roomy living and dining areas, form focal points in the front half of the flat, which can be closed off from the three bedrooms and study with a sliding door. Stretching the length of the lounge is a deep balcony that Yen restored to create an outdoor area that could serve as a second dining room and children's playground. ' I wanted somewhere my kids can play without air-conditioning,' says Yen. 'Plus there's a nice view.'

The Yens also had parties in mind when they built the dining room in what had originally been the kitchen. Now, with the doors open, the formal eating area segues into the living room and balcony.

Before guests even reach the entertainment zone they will be struck by the New-York-loft-meets-Kyoto-teahouse ambience. A custom-rusted electronic iron door slides open to reveal an entrance area with a spacious closet fronted by slatted wooden doors. Behind the cupboard is a brick wall, which, in keeping with the stylishly makeshift look, ends shy of the ceiling. The front half of the apartment also accommodates a stainless-steel kitchen and purpose-built CD library, which houses Yen's 1,000-plus collection.

One concession Yen made to the design was to substitute concrete walls for imperfectly finished white painted surfaces. The look is more industrial for his study, which features double shelving (sliding book cases were built in front of a fixed set of shelves). In this sanctuary, for which he designed a desk with a pipe to hide the cables (see Tried + Tested), the walls are rough and the lighting dim. 'I wanted this room to have a library feeling, so it had to be dark,' he says.

On the other side of the corridor is the master bedroom, which accommodates a concealed bathroom. Facing the bed is what appears to be wall-to-wall wardrobes, although behind one of the doors is the wet room, complete with a walk-in closet and glamorous dressing table: light bulbs around the mirror provide star-quality illumination. 'You're not supposed to sleep directly opposite toilets,' says Yen. 'We follow fung shui and tried to adhere to basic rules.'

Collaboration and compromise resulted in an overall look Yen is proud of. 'I would have preferred it to be as minimalist as possible but because I have kids I can't go as far as it being threadbare,' he says. 'But Jason and Caroline managed to create the loft feel very well. It's difficult to find a space like this in Hong Kong.'

1 An electronic door in rusted iron slides open to reveal an entrance that hints at what's to come. The slatted Japanese closets were made of natural oak. On the floor are 'midnight rust' slate tiles that cost HK$1,350 a square metre (installation included) from PNR (4/F, Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 2, 70 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan, tel: 2897 0028). A Bally poster (HK$200) from www. allposters.com hangs above a narrow shoe cabinet (HK$2,980) from Homeless (7 Gough Street, Central, tel: 2581 1110).

2 Against the brick wall of the living room stands a limited-edition giant Anglepoise floor lamp (HK$24,000) from Lane Crawford (www. lanecrawford.com; various locations). The Tekno classic Le Corbusier daybed (HK$39,000), the three-seater sofa (HK$69,000) and the two Maxalto single-seater sofas (HK$18,751 each) are from Desideri (6/F, Capitol Plaza, 2 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2950 4026; www.desideri. com.hk), as is the Mies van der Rohe daybed-cum-coffee table (HK$24,000). The Black Dog Licorice (HK$400), Bull Terrier Brand (HK$300) and Schnauzer bars (HK$400) posters were from www.allposters.com. The oak flooring from Equal (3/F, Phase 2, Ming An Plaza, 8 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2881 7066) cost HK$1,500 a square metre (installation included). A steel-framed sliding door with frosted glass closes off the bedrooms and study from the front of the flat. The electric roller blinds from Arredo (shop D, Lucky Building, 39 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2724 1804) cost HK$16,000.

3 The dining area features a brick wall that ends shy of the ceiling. Spacious slatted cupboards extend the length of a perpendicular wall, in front of which is a frosted-glass sliding door that affords private dining. The table (HK$14,000) was designed by Jason Caroline Design (www.jasoncarolinedesign.com) with natural oak flooring. Around the table are black Eames chairs (HK$5,429 each) from Aluminium (19 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2546 5904) and above are Nur mini pendant lamps (HK$3,740 each) from Artemide (shop 111, Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2523 0333). Delta Vice Versa sconces on the brick wall cost HK$2,000 each from Zodiac Lighting (Amber Commercial Building, 70 Morrison Hill Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2882 9082).

4 To one side of the dining area is a stainless-steel kitchen, built for HK$136,000. Apart from the Kenmore fridge, all appliances are Siemens (shop G1, Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street, tel: 2511 2323).

5 In front of the bed in the master suite is a bathroom accessed through a push door, which appears to be a section of the wall-to-wall wardrobes. Japanese Bunaco lamps (bunaco.jp) - a gift - flank the bed, which was made by Jason Caroline Design for HK$8,500. The carpet cost HK$750 a square metre from Arredo. The Catalano basin (HK$8,080), Zucchetti tap (HK$4,280) and Duravit bathtub (HK$8,800) are from H20 (2/F, Hop Yee Building, 474 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2834 6451).

6 The study, which is Michael Yen's favourite room, features a desk he designed (see Tried + Tested). Above it is a Caravaggio lamp (HK$3,700) from Apartment (62 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2882 2198). To accommodate Yen's large collection of books, Jason Caroline Design came up with double bookshelves, the front cases of which slide to reveal more storage behind. The posters (Russian Dirigible, HK$600; William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes, HK$300; and Gitanes, HK$600) came from www.allposters.com. The Bond leather armchairs (HK$4,999) are from Aluminium.

7 On the spacious balcony, the Yens built a small outdoor kitchen equipped with a barbecue (HK$11,215) from Love that Lifestyle (12/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 2792 7268) and a sink. The Gloster table (HK$17,600) and benches (HK$6,480 each) are from Resource Asia (16/F, Horizon Plaza, tel: 2554 9088). The Eco wood decking (HK$1,700 a square metre, installation included) is from Glory Top (12/F, East Town Building, 41 Lockhart Road, tel: 2388 7172). The ceiling light (HK$910) is from Zodiac.

Tried + tested

Pipe dream

To complement his loft-like apartment, Michael Yen designed a study desk with an industrial edge. Concealing computer and other cables is a pipe that directs the electrical spaghetti to outlets in the floor. The desk, built by Jason Caroline Design (www.jasoncarolinedesign. com) for HK$16,000, is made of iron that has been custom-rusted then sealed. What if a cable falls down the pipe accidentally? It can be retrieved easily because the whole thing comes apart, designer Jason Yung says, 'just like a sewerage pipe'.

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