The ultimate Hong Kong man pad - a light-filled 440 sq ft
A banker and trail runner has turned a dark Kennedy Town dwelling into a clutter-free, minimalist space.
Text Adele Brunner / Styling David Roden / Photography May Tse
Left to his own devices, banker Fabian de Prey might never have ended up with the modern, minimal apartment he calls home.
When he first viewed the 440 sq ft flat in Kennedy Town, it was dark, pokey and badly laid out.
“It was truly terrible,” says the Belgian, who has been living in Hong Kong for 10 years. “There were two tiny bedrooms, blocked-up windows, a massive beam dividing what is now my living area and, even worse, it was all yellow.”
Fortunately, he had in his corner Monique McLintock and Isaac Wong, of McLintock Wong Interiors, who could see the apartment’s potential. The designers had worked on other projects with de Prey so he felt confident about buying the property even in its substandard state.
“The challenge for me was believing in what the apartment could become because I found it hard to look beyond its awful condition,” says de Prey. “But it made sense on every other level – and I trusted Monique and Isaac’s judgment.”