Design file: Alberto Puchetti

Italian architect Alberto Puchetti - who has worked with industrial designer Michael Young and Taiwanese branding firm DEM - came to Hong Kong in 2008 to set up an interior-design practice, Arboit. He talks about his latest project, The Tipping Point Brewing Company, a Wyndham Street pub specialising in microbrews and helmed by chef Que Vinh Dang.

"The idea was to make something completely different from everything else on Wyndham Street, which is sleek and flashy. We wanted to make something that would last more than a few years, so the ageing element was important. That's why I thought of the Tai O fishing village and replicating some of its architectural motifs. You see a lot of readymade materials, like wood from different kinds of boats or houses, or pieces of metal arranged irregularly, because that's what was available. They fitted with the philosophy of the brand, which is authenticity and originality."

"The idea was to play with the wood and metal. The counter is metal, the floor is wood. We wanted a perfect balance between matte and shiny. If we had more wood it would have been a little heavy; too much metal and it would have been too aggressive. We also have brass edges along the windows and the floor, to help with the balance."

"We instructed our painter to not paint a solid colour. We arranged different colours interplaying with each other, so when time goes by and the paint [wears off] a little, it will still fit within the design language. We also wanted the metal to be a little scratched, a little less uniform, but it was too expensive to do that, so the metal counters look a little new. But when they get scratched in the future it will fit within the philosophy. In bars that are sleek, once you have a scratch, it spoils everything."

"We wanted to place the brewery at the back, to keep it out of the way, but once we did the layout we realised it created a strong statement. We like the feeling of the big fermentation tanks merging with the service area."