The tenant of a Peak home wanted a cosy yet masculine space to house his art collection. It may seem extravagant, given that he is away from Hong Kong as often as he is here, but for an aficionado with deep pockets, a 4,500 sqft duplex on The Peak was the logical place to house his large collection of art. When the tenant, a financier from the Middle East, approached designer Julie Wittgenstein for help, he asked for an interior that could accommodate his collection. The result is dozens of modern paintings and photographic works competing for attention with a bird's eye view of Hong Kong. 'He also wanted the place to be sociable, so he could throw parties when he's in town,' Wittgenstein says. 'And it had to be cosy as well as masculine.' Turning a large apartment into an entertainment-friendly space was not hard to achieve but cosiness and masculinity at the same time? 'That was challenging,' says Wittgenstein. 'He didn't want any feminine elements. No bright colour, no pattern. It was difficult to make a contrast, which can generate cosiness.' Adding to the challenge was a tight schedule; Wittgenstein was given only 45 days to accomplish the task. In Paris, from where she hails, that might be just enough time to redecorate a bedroom. Wittgenstein and her team first ran through the artwork and assigned each piece to an area. A series of photographs depicting a middle-aged woman's life were hung on the wall next to the stairs to the upper floor, as if her story was unfolding upwards. The highlight in the living room is a picture of five women in Muslim headscarves that, up close, reveals myriad tiny images of naked women in pornographic poses. The positioning is partly to 'create a good subject for discussion when party guests run out of things to say', Wittgenstein explains. Much effort has gone into making the living room a party venue. Large couches, armchairs and an opium bed provide ample seating for a big bash and more places in which to kick back can be found on the rooftop, where a sound system provides an audio backdrop to the spectacular view. In contrast, the floor between the rooftop and the living room is a zone of soothing solitude. A couple of abstract paintings in milk white create a calming atmosphere. Since the client is a bachelor, on this floor Wittgenstein created a master bedroom, a study, a gym and a guest room from what had previously been four bedrooms. 'We could have easily lumped the work desk and gym gear all in one room so everything would be handy for him,' she says. 'But by spreading the functions around the different rooms, we made sure every room is used frequently.' The requested cosiness comes from the tone found on curtains, carpets and walls throughout the apartment. 'To make things look more interesting, we introduced different colours of the same tone,' says Wittgenstein. 'There are green, yellow and beige but they're all in earth tones. This generates warmth without looking feminine but it's not too aggressively masculine either.' Clear objectives, careful planning and an easy-going client enabled the team to meet the tight deadline. More importantly, the client is pleased with the result, according to Wittgenstein, not least because many of his friends - most of them male - have given his home the thumbs up. 1 The parasol (HK$4,800), sofa (HK$23,600), lounge chairs (HK$4,800 each) and small tables (HK$1,680 each) came from Artura Ficus (18/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 3105 3904). The smoked teak planks (HK$85 a square foot) were sourced from Beautyfloor Engineering (272A Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 3427 8640). 2 The space adjacent to the dining area is enlivened by a digital print, designed by Pakistani artist Rashid Rana, of veiled Muslim women that is made up of thousands of pornographic images. The sofa (HK$19,800) and earth-tone carpet (HK$7,900) were designed by Julie Wittgenstein (41 Gage Street, Central, tel: 2542 2628). The coffee table (HK$4,500) was sourced from Ovo (16 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2526 7226). The pair of chest drawers (HK$9,000 each) came from Matchit (1/F, 8 St Francis Street, Wan Chai, tel: 2143 6856) and the lamps (HK$2,120 each) came from Inside (shop 231, Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2537 6298). 3 The dining area is demarcated by a pair of screens (HK$15,600 each) from Ovo. The walnut dining table (HK$61,720) and the Hans Wegner oak chairs (HK$8,590 each) are from Manks (2 Kennedy Terrace, Mid-Levels, tel: 2522 2115). The lightshade (HK$5,400) over the dining table came from Ovo. 4 The sofas (HK$48,000 each) and armchairs (HK$6,400 each) in the living area were designed by Wittgenstein. The coffee table (HK$7,500) and the pendant lampshade (HK$3,600) above it are from Ovo. 5 The two Hans Wegner walnut armchairs (HK$27,210 each) came from Manks and the small table (HK$10,500) was from Aluminium (19 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2546 5904). The round pedestal table (HK$38,000 from Manks), with an enamelled top in black and gold, is the work of Danish designer Bjorn Winblad. 6 Another artwork by Rana hangs above an elm opium bed (HK$23,000), which was sourced from Matchit. 7 Earth tones dominate in the master bedroom, which features a two-seater sofa (HK$21,800) designed by Wittgenstein. She sourced fabrics from Altfield Interiors (1102, 9 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2525 2738) for the curtains (HK$48,000, including the Roman sheer) and the pillow cases. The bedside tables (HK$13,000 for two) are 19th century antiques from Shanxi province sourced from Altfield Gallery (shop 248, Prince's Building, tel: 2537 6370). The bed is from the tenant's previous home. Tried + tested Warmth and light Artwork may help but nothing beats good lighting when it comes to creating a warm ambience. A case in point is this pendant lamp (HK$6,400, designed by Julie Wittgenstein; 41 Gage Street, Central, tel: 2542 2628) in the master bedroom. The cover is made of silk in old gold. Frosted plexiglass at the bottom hides the bulb and diffuses the light to create a soft, square reflection on the ceiling Styling David Roden