Among the hostels, tailors and cha chaan teng of a quintessentially Hong Kong 1950s mansion block on Nathan Road is an unexpectedly contemporary flat. Sleek, masculine and darkly atmospheric, it blends luxurious materials, such as walnut and marble, with raw concrete walls and an edgy, urban setting. It is the home of hotel-accessories designer Daniel Cho Fong-keong and senior human resources director Timothy Bean, who found the 634 sq ft former jewellery workshop in Tsim Sha Tsui after a frustrating year-long search. “Initially, we were planning to rent in Causeway Bay,” Bean says. “But the problem with rental properties is there are too many small rooms. So we decided to see what we could buy.” The couple drew up a wish list: the property had to be square or rectangular to enable a flexible, practical design, with a full-size kitchen, two bathrooms and space to entertain. Having previously renovated properties in the United States, Cho would take on the design duties with help from contractor friend Michael Tuen Hon-fung, of Vivid Design. “We scoured website after website, and found Tsim Sha Tsui was a couple of thousand dollars less per square foot. After looking at 500-to-550 sq ft places in Causeway Bay, this seemed so big,” Bean says. A scarred 50s floor was no deterrent and the couple liked the open view (“If you stick your head out of the window, you can see Kowloon Park,” Bean says) and the extra light afforded by its corner position. The five-month renovation last year wasn’t all plain sailing. One major setback came when they discovered the soil pipe wasn’t where they had thought and the entire design had to be flipped, placing the bathrooms against an internal wall. The silver lining to this decision was extra light in the kitchen, and the creation of a narrow entrance hallway lined with floor-to-ceiling cupboards. “It works so much better this way and gives us more privacy. Our original plan had the front door opening into the living area, which would have meant anyone waiting for the lift could see straight in,” Bean says. The space is organised around an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, and a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Completing the layout is a guest toilet, near the entrance. “We had to compromise on the two-bathroom plan – but we do have a double shower,” Bean says. We didn’t want white – everyone has white – we wanted to do the opposite Homeowner Timothy Bean A sole structural column between the bedroom and living area was encased in a small wall, bracketed on either side by sliding doors to improve air circulation and allow light to flow between the two spaces. On the bedroom side, it houses two bookcases (see Tried + tested ) while in the living area it forms a feature wall of glossy marble. “It was going to be black leather, but that proved too difficult,” Cho says. “Then we decided on a wallpaper, but our friends didn’t like it and that put us off. So it had to be stone.” The moody colour palette of grey and black, warmed and brightened by wood, mirrors and that glossy marble, also came about partly by accident. “We didn’t want white – everyone has white – we wanted to do the opposite,” Bean says. However, they hadn’t intended to go quite so dark. “I wanted a black kitchen – and if I had found one sooner, we would have gone for light walls,” Cho says. “But we had given up and picked out wood cabinets and ordered the dark grey wall tiles when the kitchen guy remembered he had this black metal finish. We went for that, as we already had quite a lot of wood in the design. We still might change the tiles later.” All that black and charcoal grey makes a dramatic backdrop to pops of colour, such as the red tap. To keep the countertop clean and uncluttered (“I don’t want to look at the toaster all day,” Cho says), kitchen appliances are stowed out of sight but close to hand on a slide-out tray behind a lift-up cupboard door. And the couple couldn’t resist a few hi-tech additions, including remote-controlled blinds and Google-connected voice-controlled lighting, on dimmer switches. “It’s so fun,” Bean says. “You just tell Google what to do: ‘Google, lights to 100 per cent.’” Living area The sofa (HK$23,960) and coffee table (HK$3,950) were from Tree and the rug (HK$19,500) was from Tai Ping Carpets . The Tolomeo Mega floor lamp (halogen HK$9,200; LED HK$12,000) was from Artemide . The painting is by Nong Shaohua and came from Beijing’s Red Gate Gallery . Living and dining area The marble wall panels cost HK$14,215 from Wing Ming Marble (email: wingming@pokwongstone.com ). Instead of a traditional dining table, Daniel Cho and Timothy Bean had Woodmark custom make an island (HK$16,800 in total) that doubles as a table, with integrated storage and shelving. The kitchen cabinets and silestone countertop (HK$144,000 in total) came from ProKitchen . The Infinity bench (HK$5,000) was from Tree and the Stellar Works dining chairs were a gift. Living area detail Next to the mirrored sliding door to the bedroom is Bean’s piano. The S-shaped shelf (HK$7,000 from Kino Guérin ) was a gift from Bean to Cho. The three vases were from Shanghai’s Spin Ceramics . The wood-effect ceramic floor tiles came from a store in Wufang’s Home , Shenzhen. The concrete wall was redone three times before Cho was happy with the finish. Kitchen “The contractor was going to build [the kitchen], but then we walked past ProKitchen’s showroom and saw this,” Bean says. The silestone countertop has a bevelled edge and appears almost to levitate above the cabinets. The red Grohe tap was HK$4,898 from Hop Lung Building Materials (300 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2802 2274). Study area Tucked against the wall between the kitchen and living area is a desk that the couple have had for years. The chair is part of the set from Stellar Works. Bedroom The bed (HK$15,000) was custom made by Woodmark. The side table came with the couple from their previous flat. The table lamp was HK$2,200 from Koncept and the painting was picked up at Chatuchak Market, in Bangkok, Thailand. The remote-controlled blind cost HK$9,000 from Shenzhen’s Sky Curtain (email: sky.curtain@yahoo.com.cn ). Bathroom Contrasting matt and gloss tiles were used to create a feature panel in the double shower. The tiles came from a store in Wufang’s Home. The shower heads were HK$500 each from Classic Bathroom Accessories (249 Lockhart Road, tel: 2802 0382) and the Gabo sink was HK$1,400 from Taobao . Tried + tested Shelf service The design had to accommodate a structural column, which has been embedded in a wall between the bedroom and living area. On the bedroom side, it houses two sets of display shelves behind sliding walnut doors. When the doors are closed, the shelves are revealed. The unit (HK$30,000) was designed by Daniel Cho and built by contractor Michael Tuen, of Vivid Design (tel: 3188 1210).