What happened when a Hong Kong couple asked a commercial designer to make over their home
As design enthusiasts, the homeowners were familiar with the work of JJ Acuna, who, despite never having worked on a residential project, accepted the challenge because of a focused brief and shared aesthetic values
Looking to buy a flat near where they lived in Hang Hau, design enthusiasts Eugene Ng Hon-keung and J Sin Kit-ching were thrilled when a 950 sq ft unit became available in their building. But then began a search for a designer that lasted six months.
“We even talked with some designers in the UK,” says Ng, who, like Sin, is a property investor.
“It’s true that we are mostly a commercial designer, for restaurants and bars and so on,” says Acuna. “But their brief was very specific and focused aesthetically, and it aligned with mine. They wondered what our designs would look like in a residential setting and I have to say we were curious, too.”
Completed in 2018, the near-one-year overhaul brought a considerable change in layout. From the original four-bedroom flat plus helpers’ quarters, the apartment morphed into two bedrooms with open kitchen, living and dining areas. The couple specified shades of green for the interiors and also wanted to find space for an inlaid tile artwork found while holidaying in Morocco.
As the starting point for the design, the tiled piece found a fitting home in the entryway and saw Acuna extend the inlay theme to the chevron oak flooring, which features a brass inlay border in every room.