The 1,800 sq ft Hong Kong 'apartment' that's actually a film set
Studio, designed by its film-buff owner and his lawyer wife, has bagged roles in local movies and television shows
You might have seen Johnny Kember's 1,800 sq ft studio on television. No, the Hong Kong-based architect hasn't starred in a reality TV show. Rather, with his wife, June Cheah, the film aficionado has converted the space into a cinematic setting, which is hired out to studios.
"My family has a long history with film," says Kember, who moved to Hong Kong from London in 1992.
Four years later, he established architectural studio KplusK Associates with his twin, Paul, and Cheah, a lawyer specialising in commercial law and immigration, who is also a Londoner, of Chinese-Malaysian descent.
"Four of my uncles are involved in films and my grandfather was the chief construction manager at MGM Studios, in London, in the 1950s and early 60s. So I understand, from visual and practical perspectives, what is beneficial for a professional studio space," says Kember.
The couple, who met in Hong Kong and live with their two young daughters in Sai Kung, spotted a gap in the market for flexible sets in Hong Kong while living in Tin Hau.
"Our home there was a contemporary, open-plan space that Johnny had designed and was very popular with commercial and film directors, as it offered the perfect backdrop for a variety of shoots," Cheah says.
In 2007, the couple co-founded Studio 5, creating a number of production studios, including one in Ap Lei Chau, which are used by film and television producers, photographers and video artists.