All work and no play is old way at Hong Kong's hippest offices
A few firms have caught on to the idea that a stylish workplace with a built-in fun factor can lure young talent and boost productivity
The beer flows freely, and cues thwack on billiard balls. But this is not a pool hall. A pianist tickles the ivories while a fine red is uncorked. But this is not a wine bar.
Ed Ng and Terence Ngan, co-founders of the interior design firm AB Concept, immerse their clients in uber-luxury at AB Concept Atelier, their new office in Causeway Bay. The 14,000 sq ft space is designed to feel like home - that is, if your home includes a Salvador Dali sculpture, a classic Hermès lamp and a gallery-quality art collection.
Since starting out in 2001, AB Concept has carved a niche in the high-end hotel, residential and restaurant sectors. Realising that their expanded Hong Kong headquarters would be the perfect showcase for the firm's trademark upscale interior detailing, Ng and Ngan decided to furnish it with pieces from their personal collection. Rather than keep these treasures at home, Ng says: "We decided to place them where they could put a smile on the faces of clients and colleagues".
Beginning with an indoor garden sprouting out of nowhere and a giant ring sculpture that is actually a desk, the space has an feel. That bright green toy pony is in fact a chair (made in 1973 by Eero Aarnio) and what appears to be a grand piano gleaming in the distance turns out to be a kitchen island (made from black Polyform). Curiouser and curiouser.
Clients invited into "the big room" (aka the conference room) sit on original Eames chairs by Herman Miller, the mood enhanced by a famous mug lamp from Hermès' "Petit h" project. "Everything we put in the space has an artistic quality to it," Ng says. "All the pieces speak to each other, and they have a very interesting dialogue."
