Bringing the comfort and style of a ski lodge to a 2,500 sq ft flat in Tai Tam began rather painfully for interior designer Max Lam Tsz-hong, whose simple brief from new clients included an invitation to visit their luxury chalet in Hokkaido, Japan. Although a surfer, the creative director of Max Lam Designs had no experience of snow sports. And despite his first day snowboarding being exhilarating, it was memorable for the wrong reasons. A spectacular fall resulted in a broken collarbone. But determined not to disappoint his clients, Lam went ahead with the home visit the following day despite being in agony. “Maybe the pain was a good thing,” says Lam, who had been chosen on the strength of a Post Magazine home feature two years ago. “Because I really focused that day and I got a very good understanding of my client.” After two months of design work and nine months of renovations, that focus paid off when, in early 2020, the owners and their two children, now aged 15 and 20, moved into a clean, contemporary three-bedroom flat full of sumptuous comforts and design details that invoke the spirit of their holiday home in Japan. Minimalist Japanese design finds a home in Kowloon Tong “The onsen experience is very important to my client,” says Lam. “He really enjoys the Japanese way of bathing, sitting down, with lots of very hot water and some time to rest. So we designed the [main] en suite around that.” One of the four bedrooms in the original layout was sacrificed to extend the existing en suite bathroom into a cavernous space lined with charcoal tiles and copper accents, including rain shower and waterfall shower fittings. Wooden benches and an egg-shaped stand-alone bath round out the onsen spa ambience while a ceiling-mounted dehumidifier ensures a clean and dry bathroom for every visit. “We put a dehumidifier in the bathroom as standard as it’s not expensive but it helps keep everything clean, warm and dry and makes it feel like a more luxurious space,” says Lam. Next to the en suite is a similarly spacious walk-in wardrobe and dressing area, both screened from the bed by a corridor of walnut panelling that also serves as a mini gallery: a favourite bronze sculpture sits on a pedestal against a curve of smoked glass. The addition of the corridor pushes the bed closer to the tranquil ocean views of the south-facing windows, which Lam felt was an important link to the Hokkaido home, where the main bedroom also enjoys magnificent views. Lam employed a similar optical trick for the kitchen, which was set too far back from the living area to satisfy the owners’ desire for an open kitchen. Extending the kitchen counter out of the kitchen to combine with a seated bar area (“for hot pots”) behind the dining table allowed the two areas to be visually connected by a cohesive countertop and matching cabinetry. Wood veneer ceilings in the master bedroom and living area add a touch of ski chalet chic that also makes these larger areas feel cosy and intimate. Hong Kong house goes from dark and dingy to bright family home The owners’ art collection, still in the process of being installed, called for an adaptive lighting system in addition to the soft recessed lighting throughout the flat, so Lam suggested track lighting with easily relocated magnetic spotlights. The living room, like the main bedroom, looks out onto the relaxing blues of Tai Tam Bay and the wide open skies beyond. Lam installed bifold doors to make the most of the idyllic views and created a bar with seating for alfresco moments. Deep sofas and a pair of ergonomic leather chairs provide comfortable lounging in the living area around a double-width fireplace. Unable to find a design wide enough for his plans, he opted for a pair of minimalist fires that sit side by side under the wall-mounted television. Extra warmth is provided by the built-in bar to the rear, where bottles of amber firewater are displayed on backlit shelves. “My client likes to entertain and enjoy life,” he says. “He has very high standards and we really wanted to create a luxurious but comfortable space for him and his family, with some unexpected details to excite.” His downhill initiation notwithstanding, Lam says, “This has been one of my favourite projects.” Living area The Minotti sofa and yellow ottoman both came from Andante . The rug was from Fort Street Studio . The leather chairs and coffee tables were from Roche Bobois . Behind the bar is a set of ink paintings by Buddhist monk Sun Guangyi, which came from Sin Sin Fine Art . The bar chairs on the balcony were from Everything Under the Sun and the large plant pot in the corner was from Ovo . Living area The LED track lighting with magnetically attached downlights came from oraLED . The two minimalist gas fires, installed side by side under the TV to create an extra wide line of flames, came from Design Link . Dining area and kitchen The stone countertops and walnut ceiling panelling were designed and installed by Max Lam Designs , with recessed downlights from oraLED. Leicht built the kitchen cabinetry and the wine cabinet was from EuroCave . Dining area The dining table and chairs came from Poliform and the brass ribbon pendant light was from Tom Dixon . The rug was from Roche Bobois. The dining area bar was custom designed with terrazzo by Max Lam Designs. Main bedroom The Minotti bed with leather headboard came from Andante, as did the matching bedside tables. The bedside lights were bought online from Viabizzuno and the rug was from Fort Street Studio. Main bedroom detail The walnut-panelled corridor between the main bedroom and the en suite and dressing area houses recessed and spot lighting from oraLED. The brass cherry sculpture at the far end is by Surinam-born artist Lothar Vigelandzoon and was bought at Galeries Bartoux in London. Main en suite The charcoal wall and floor tiles, both from Anta , contrast with wooden benches custom made by Max Lam Designs and copper shower fittings from Colour Living . The ceiling-mounted dehumidifier was sourced from Panasonic . Daughter’s bedroom The built-in bed, desk and vertical panels and lattices of oak were all custom designed by Max Lam Designs. Tried + tested Turning a corner For added cosiness in the bedrooms, interior designer Max Lam created a number of cohesive finishes featuring curved wood. In the daughter’s bedroom, thin-cut oak panelling on one wall and terrazzo resin laminate on another are topped with oak veneer coving, softened further by the ceiling’s recessed lighting. The terrazzo resin echoes the real terrazzo in the shared areas of the home but without the chill of stone, giving the wall next to the bed a tactile warmth.