SAUNTER DOWN Arbuthnot Road in Central and you'll find another glitzy entrance gentrifying the street, now home to such trend-setting establishments as Veda, Chez Moi, the Centrium complex and the short-lived but much-hyped Curve bar. This new addition displays all the signs of another cool drinking den - chocolate brown facade, oversized glass door, stainless-steel slats and trendy name (ovolo) in discreet lower case letters. Inside, the entrance further augments the nightclub atmosphere. UFO-style spotlights shine down on a counter where a snooty doorbitch might turn you away, and a gigantic cast-aluminium spherical sculpture, based on a magnified plankton, by local silversmith Will Jamieson, hangs next to a wall studded with polished aluminium eggs. The bar-like decor is unsurprising, considering the visionaries behind the project are the award-winning design team, KplusK, who created the former Jah bar and Liquid nightclub. But rather than the latest intimidatingly trendy bar, ovolo is a new block of cutting-edge serviced apartments. The brainchild of Girish Jhunjhnuwala, owner of the contemporary bar and Indian restaurant, Veda, two doors away, and former bar, Somras, on Hollywood Road, ovolo is aimed at those looking for a more stylish short stay experience. 'I wanted to create a sanctuary for professional people, somewhere they could really feel relaxed and pampered,' says Paul Kember of KplusK. 'It had to be more than just a home, more like a boutique hotel. But I also wanted it to be somewhere they could work, so I updated and upgraded the desk idea into a proper working zone, with storage and tech connections.' State-of-the art technology is an overriding theme at ovolo and hinted at before you even enter one of the 21 identical 1,200-sq ft apartments, each on its own floor accessed by a scented elevator. A Salto entry card system by Danish firm d line ( www.dline.com ; available from Tung Fat Ho in Admiralty, tel: 2487 6199) does away with doorkeys. Once inside, the tech-dependent will find three IDD phone lines (one each in the bedroom, living room and bathroom); three broadband dataports (so you can work on your laptop from the bed, at the desk or at the dining table); two 42-inch flatscreen plasma TVs hooked up to a DVD, VCR and 13 cable channels; a printer-fax; an electronic safe; and a surround-sound AV system (with subwoofers hidden behind the bed headboard and aluminium living room feature wall). Jhunjhnuwala sees single people as likely tenants, with privacy not necessarily the priority, so the ovolo apartments have been designed to unfold completely to a single open-plan space. Should seclusion be required, the bedroom can be sealed off with a sliding partition. The majority of the furniture and fittings have been designed by KplusK, and all the accessories sourced by Susanna Valerio Santi, homewares consultant to Lane Crawford, and Jhunjhnuwala's wife, Sarika. 'Everything has a cohesive feel,' says Kember, 'right down to the signature switch plates. Through branding, we're trying to create an overall sense of style, the idea that everything has been thought of.' The switch plates centralise all the utility controls - dimmer lights, ventilation, water heating - and even feature the ovolo logo (designed by hip graphic design company, Hybrid) etched into the stainless steel. Other ease-inducing perks include daily maid services with twice-weekly bed linen and daily bathroom linen changes; an exclusive order-in food and wine menu; free grocery delivery service; and complimentary membership at nearby California Fitness. You can even borrow an espresso machine if you're having guests for dinner. Should you need to entertain on a grander scale, a party package is available providing cocktails, canapes and your own bartender. With an instant party pad, tenants won't even need to stroll down to Lan Kwai Fong, despite the nightlife district being a mere olive stone's throw away. 1: Rather than a mere afterthought, designers KplusK created a dedicated work zone within the living area, complete with broadband connection, IDD phone line, printer-fax and aluminium Mandraki table lamp by Artemide ($1,900 from Artemide in Central. Tel: 2882 6863; www.artemide.com ). The Polo sofa and matching lacquered coffee table are by Frigerio (from $21,000 and $5,600 from Desideri in Central, tel: 2950 4026). 2: All of the 21 identical ovolo units feature recessed showers (see Designer recommends) with a floating Corian seat, behind invigorating orange laminated glass doors. KplusK designed the stainless-steel stand for a ceramic sink by Axo (from Massford in Wan Chai, tel: 2891 6860) as well as the hanging stainless steel framed mirror with a built-in defogger. The walls are clad in Al Suwaiq marble from Oman and the floor in lava stone tiles, which are relatively warm underfoot. 3: In the open kitchen, Smeg appliances are built into 'post formed' laminate cupboards, negating the need for edge lipping, making them more durable in a humid cooking environment. On the left, an aluminium-clad feature wall hides incandescent lighting, wiring for the 42-inch plasma TV as well as subwoofers for the surround-sound AV system. 4: The bed incorporates a floating Corian platform and a poplar veneer headboard, furnished by a Simmons mattress and Frette linen. The room can be blocked off from the living area by a sliding lacquered MDF door peppered with ovolo shape indents. 5: Adapted from one of KplusK's award-winning designs, the dining table features white laminated glass on an articulated stainless-steel frame with lockable wheels. The walnut veneer X Collection chairs are by lapalma ($2,100 each from Desideri). 6: A floating Corian desk with satin aluminium faced drawers and a oak veneer Log stool by lapalma ($2,500 from Desideri) furnishes the compact dressing room. For leasing enquiries, contact CB Richard Ellis on 2820 2988. Units cost between $46,000 and $66,000 a month. Designer recommends INTO THE FOLD: if you don't have enough room to swing an iron, not to mention the requisite board, consider a retractable version. In all the ovolo apartments, 96cm-long Ironfix Built-In Ironing Boards can be pulled out of a drawer in the dressing room ($492 from Hafele in Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2368 6433). SEAL OF APPROVAL: black rubber seals hemming a shower enclosure can spoil the clean lines of a contemporary bathroom. To get round this problem, KplusK dropped the cubicle floor 2.5cm so there is no gap under the shower door when it shuts, negating the need for a conspicuous seal. LET THERE BE LIGHT: distinctive 'worm glass' has been installed between the bedroom and bathroom (available from Jeb Asia in Wan Chai, tel: 2520 2839). The glass allows light from the south-facing bathroom window to flood through the apartment, while the worm pattern provides privacy by blurring inhabitants to a silhouette. UNDER CONTROL: a master control panel for your lights, water heaters, fans and air conditioners simplifies your life as well as keeping the walls free from a multitude of switch panels. It's a major job for an electrician and contractor, so make sure you plan exactly what you need before renovations commence.