A small but chic bachelor pad in Sheung Wan has provided three business partners with a perfect launching pad into the Hong Kong real estate market. For the owners of a compact penthouse apartment in Sheung Wan, the fact they would never live in their recently purchased flat didn't dampen their enthusiasm for its renovation. This was a project to be enjoyed vicariously. They even had a firm idea of their ideal tenant. 'We wanted a high-end product for a certain audience - a bachelor pad, mainly for expats who would like something a little unusual,' says co-owner Raoul Preller. 'Our target was someone who could arrive with a suitcase and move straight in.' Preller, from South Africa, and his business partners, Henning Voss and Christoph Bannerman, are young professionals with experience in property development, but they didn't find it easy to locate the right blank canvas for their first Hong Kong venture. 'Good space is very hard to find in Hong Kong,' says Voss, who is from Germany. 'This place had a very nice floor plan, a rectangular shape with big windows, and it offered enough space to create a decent one-bedroom apartment. We also took it because of the roof and the open view.' 'We see Sheung Wan as the next pocket of growth,' interjects Preller. 'You've got design stores coming in, arty stores, bookstores, galleries, arts and crafts, restaurants.' The trio commissioned friend and interior designer Jennifer Newton of Newton Concepts (1/F, Fortuna Building, 63 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 6718 5181), who drew her inspiration from extensive tours around some of Southeast Asia's more unusual luxury resorts. She was given a style and a colour scheme - charcoals and dark woods - and was left to fill in the blanks. 'It's a blend of natural and industrial,' Newton explains. 'Not highly polished; materials like the concrete and the brick are left quite raw since we were going partly for a New York loft feel.' The 550 sq ft space has clean lines and a masculine palette that has been softened with textured materials. As a result, granite, concrete and hardwoods blend with brick, rusted steel and sea grass. The downstairs living area is open plan and features a large custom-made sofa and coffee table. Expansive windows flood the space with light and a small bar stands in place of a traditional dining table. The stainless-steel cabinets float on hidden bases to appear more distinctive. 'I particularly like the way she has mixed materials in the kitchen - the combination of sea grass, brick and metal,' says Voss. There are few frills in the bedroom, which was kept stylish and functional with a large custom-made bed, soft recessed lighting and a wall of sea-grass-clad cupboards. A tinted glass panel separates the sculptural, slate-grey bathroom from the rest of the bedroom, providing an ambient glow at night. Bathers also get excellent district views from the tub. 'We had wanted the bathroom to become part of the bedroom but it only works if you have enough space for a separate toilet. In the end we came up with this hybrid,' says Voss. For new tenant E.C. Liu, the rooftop was a major selling point. A former architect now in the finance industry, he travels often but appreciates having extra space for entertaining. He was particularly taken with the slate plunge pool and shower, which doubles as a decorative water feature (see Tried & Tested). 'I'm waiting for one of my guests to use it,' he jokes, noting that, being surrounded by other apartment buildings, privacy could be an issue on the rooftop. Liu's design training allowed him to recognise Newton's skilled working of the small space, both upstairs and down. Oversized plant pots, bamboo screens, plenty of greenery and floor panels lit from beneath lend further character to the alfresco zone, which has a seating area and large bar-kitchen. Liu has found an urban oasis amid a forest of concrete. 1 The open kitchen shows an innovative use of several materials, with one wall of sea grass behind glass (left), another of exposed brick and cabinets in a combination of no-nonsense stainless steel and grey glass. These are all easy to clean and maintain. The Alessi kettle, by design master Aldo Rossi, belongs to tenant E.C. Liu. 2 The exposed brick adds to the loft-like aesthetic. The breakfast bar is capped with hygienic waxed granite and the stools (about HK$800 each) are from Kai Ngai Furniture and Chair (328 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2573 1196). Interior designer Jennifer Newton (tel: 6718 5181) concealed the fridge behind stainless-steel cabinetry, which matches the front door. The crockery is from Ikea (various locations; www.ikea.com.hk ). In the living area, the owners were keen to avoid making the television a focal point, so Newton designed a wall feature in steel and tinted glass (on right; HK$8,000), which catches the eye and adds depth and drama to the space. The steel is designed to weather and rust. 3 The light and chic living space incorporates the cool, clean properties of concrete with a warm-toned hardwood floor and a suede sofa (HK$7,000) in wintry silver from Hoba Home Furnishings (2/F, Hoba Plaza, corner of Baoan North and Meiyuan roads, Luohu District, Shenzhen, tel: 0755 2591 1411). The coffee table, in stainless steel and concrete, was custom built by Hoba for about HK$3,000; the cushions are from Ikea and G.O.D. ( www.god.com . hk). Newton purchased the teak bowl in Indonesia. 4 Simplicity is key in the bedroom, which features a custom-built wenge wood bed dressed in beige and cupboards clad in sea grass (about HK$850 a roll, from Altfield Interiors, shop 605, 9 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2524 486). The view is meant to take centre stage, so a simple dressing-table niche provides the only other adornment. 5 The floor of the rooftop is covered in charcoal-coloured ceramic tiles, an affordable alternative to the granite used elsewhere. Newton bought contemporary lounge pieces (HK$6,600 in total) in synthetic rattan from Intend (26/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 3527 0795). The large plant pots (HK$6,500 for four big and two small pots, including plants, from Chun Hing Gardening and Landscaping, Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, tel: 2572 6430) act as pedestals to the lush greenery. Two sections of the roof floor were elevated to conceal a network of pipes. 6 In the bathroom, the utilitarian look of the waterproofed concrete tub is softened with a wooden plank bought from a market in Thailand. The large rain shower and the black pebbles (from Chun Hing Gardening and Landscaping) also add elements of nature. Newton installed an electric blind (from Art Draperies, 102 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2136 1588) over the window. 7 Rounded edges on the ceramic basin (about HK$900, from Luen Hing Hong Building Materials, 236 Lockhart Road, tel: 2511 3630), an elm wood countertop (about HK$3,000, from The Wood Shop, 141 Lockhart Road, tel: 2234 0111) and a textured concrete wall add gentle touches to the bathroom. tried & tested take the plunge The outdoor shower and plunge pool on the roof increased the desirability of the property. The owners were inspired by a slightly elevated outdoor shower they'd seen in boutique hotels and developed the idea with Jennifer Newton of Newton Concepts (1/F, Fortuna Building, 63 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 6718 5181). She built the pool from waterproofed concrete topped with granite. The pieces of stacked chiselled slate were individually attached to the wall to create the backdrop for the waterfall. STYLING David Roden
