THE SHELTER-MAGAZINE industry is big business and a major source of inspiration for home design. Pictures of perfectly styled abodes torn from glossy magazines such as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Metropolitan Home help to form visions of beautiful homes and guide interior-design projects. Although there's no denying the usefulness of these publications, commercial venues can also be a source of inspiration where you can find innovative designs that are perfect for the home-interior market.
Some designers recommend checking out stylish stores and the like before embarking on home renovations. 'I often bring clients to restaurants and boutiques to get inspired about interior decoration, particularly in terms of focal points,' says architect and designer Johnny Li of Nail Assemblage. 'Focal points are the first thing people notice.'
At the recently opened Billy Boy cafe in Sheung Wan, Li and his team fused commercial and domestic elements to recreate the design feel of the 1950s and 60s in several aspects of the restaurant's interior, which was created to feel more like a home.
'At Billy Boy we have a large mural as our focal point,' says Li. 'But a focal point can be anything from a blank wall with a beautiful texture to a piece of art.'
The restaurant's colour scheme, a combination of basic background greys and off-whites highlighted with orange, yellow and pink, allows for such focal points. For example, the orange accent is repeated in the kitchen to draw the eye to that spot. This technique works well in open-plan flats.
Billy Boy is furnished with designer chairs, such as the Eero Saarinen Tulip and the Eames fibreglass shell side chair, along with furniture from Nail Assemblage's new Yi Line, inspired by 50s panache. 'This style of furniture is more in the background, which complements the focal points around the restaurant,' says Li.