A renovation, a pregnancy and a pandemic … what could possibly go wrong? This wasn’t a trifecta Jeff Wong Chun-kiu, a technology sales manager, and wife Jennifer Wu Hu-man, a financial crime risk manager, envisaged as they set out to search for their dream home, but they were quick to adapt when things changed. “We’ve always aspired to live close to nature, away from the hustle and bustle, but our jobs in Causeway Bay have limited how far we could move from the city,” Wong says. A 66-year-old walk-up in a verdant part of Happy Valley presented itself as “the best of both worlds”. Having dabbled in home improvement with their previous flat, the couple were prepared to undertake extensive remodelling of the 1,100 sq ft apartment bought in March last year, blending their own ideas with that of designer Sai Chan, creative director of MØFT studio. By introducing natural light, elements of Bali and a lot of love, a family made their Hong Kong flat feel like home The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the couple’s desire to create a sanctuary “where the home feels like a holiday villa”. With their usually frequent travelling paused, and both now also working from home, “we wanted to create a place we’d feel comfortable spending a lot more time in”, Wong says. The fact that they had found the flat advertised for sale on Facebook seemed prescient given the months of restrictions to come. Unable to shop in person, the couple turned to online platforms to source much of their building supplies. Not only did this prove time-efficient, it also saved them money. Insofar as the spatial arrangement, not much has changed from the original floor plan. The two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living and dining areas and kitchen remain where they were, with some modifications. In the main bedroom, a wall of the en suite was removed to replicate a resort feel and accommodate Wu’s preference for a bathtub in the room. The white stone tub, sourced from mainland China via Taobao, was considered to be a bargain at only HK$4,000 – at a retail store in Hong Kong, Chan estimates a similar item would cost 10 times as much. Having it installed in a four-storey walk-up was another matter altogether: it took four men several hours to inch the 160kg tub up the building’s narrow staircase. The couple’s decision to do away with an existing walk-in wardrobe adds to the suite’s spacious feel. The scaled-down two-door wardrobe “challenged us to live with less stuff, but it’s working for us”, Wong says. “We’ve realised we didn’t wear even half of the clothes we owned.” However, the make-up table that Wu had wanted is now in use as a work desk. That’s because the second bedroom, earmarked as a home office, became a nursery following the happy news that baby Jude (born in February 2021) was on his way. Designer and clients were in agreement on the Balinese-style fitout of the main bedroom, which includes a plain concrete floor and bedhead, softened by rattan finishes. Two low-hanging bedside lamps crafted from metal mesh are of the kind ubiquitous in Bali. “We managed to find an artisan on Facebook who makes these shades, but he doesn’t speak English,” Wong says. Using Wong’s mother’s Indonesian helper as a translator, they organised to have two sent over. The living room had two Juliet-style balconies, which the couple loved because they open up views of the enveloping greenery, so they decided to add this window treatment to the main bedroom as well. On Chan’s suggestion that no opportunity for this rare green view should be wasted, a low, wide window was installed in lieu of a splashback behind the hob in the newly open-plan kitchen. The couple both enjoy cooking and didn’t want to be disconnected from family life as they prepare meals. Because the flat is generous in size, the living room, dining area and kitchen feel light and airy. As a foil to the bare concrete used for much of the flooring and the kitchen benchtops, the couple engaged a Hong Kong-based Polish carpenter to hand-make various pieces of cabinetry from imported oak. Having now lived through their first winter, the couple admit that concrete can feel cold underfoot, but it’s “nothing that slippers can’t fix”. They find it an easy-to-clean surface that has the natural aesthetic they desired. Despite renovating at the height of the pandemic, and planning for their new arrival, the whole job was completed in just three months, and within the couple’s HK$1 million budget. But will this be their forever home? Perhaps not, says Wong. “We’ve always wanted to live in Sai Kung, with a garden and a rooftop,” he explains. And maybe another bedroom might be needed down the track. For the next five years at least, though, it’s an idyllic tropical sanctuary in the city, just the way they like it. Dining room The teak table, bench and end chairs are all from Indigo Living . The decorative tabletop accessories were collected by the couple on their travels, and the woven rattan pendant light and bar stools came through Taobao . The teak high table in the corner holds a vintage-style Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone from Lane Crawford . Main bedroom The oak-trimmed ceiling fan, brought from the couple’s previous flat, came from a shop since closed. The mattress and bedsheets were from Hush Home and the wood veneer bed base and concrete headboard were made by contractor Wong Hiu-ping (tel: 6139 6713). The straw window blind was sourced through Taobao. The basket came from Indonesian company Sani Home and Living (Instagram: @sani.home.living) and the retro Bluetooth speaker is from Marshall . The bedside table in reclaimed wood was sourced via Taobao and the wire-mesh bedside lamps were handcrafted in Bali. En suite The WillBoll free-standing man-made stone bathtub was sourced online through Taobao. It is teamed with matte taps from Gobo Interiors (243 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 6349 9018) and a Galassia toilet from Oscar Bath and Kitchen , accessorised with a laundry basket from Ikea , and wooden ladder and handmade weed rug through Taobao. The couple’s oak and rattan wardrobe was crafted by Filip Winiewicz from Hardwood Hong Kong . Living room India the Labradoodle makes herself at home in the living room on a sofa from Tequila Kola . The room is further comfortably dressed with a rattan coffee table from Sani Home and Living, straw footrests from Ikea, carved wood wall art from Siam Sawadee , in Thailand, and lush greenery from online plant shop Keren’s Garden . The ceiling fan was sourced through Taobao and the television bench came from the couple’s previous home. Nursery Repurposed from what was to have been a study, baby Jude’s nursery is furnished with a foldable director’s rocking chair and rug bought through Taobao, a baby’s high chair from bloom and a changing table from Ikea. Make-up table-cum-work desk Jennifer Wu’s vanity table, hand made in oak by Hardwood Hong Kong, doubles as a work-from-home desk. It is teamed with a Carl Hansen & Son CH23 chair from Lane Crawford and a small print by Sydney-based photographer Eugene Tan of Aquabumps . The table lamp was a “find” in a Taiwan antiques store and the brass wall light was bought through Taobao. Kitchen In the newly open-plan kitchen, polished concrete countertops were poured on site by the contractor, who also built the laminate cabinetry. The hanging light was sourced through Taobao. Vestibule A vestibule between the foyer and living areas, created by demolishing a storage cupboard, is now beautifully refitted with tailor-made oak hardwood shoe cabinets with rattan fronts by Hardwood Hong Kong. The Serge Mouille-style swinging reading lamp above it was bought through Taobao. Tried + tested Weave your magic On the suggestion of designer Sai Chan, creative director of MØFT studio , the Indonesian rattan matting used as decorative finishes throughout the apartment was also applied to the false ceiling of the en suite bathroom. Apart from adding to the flat’s “Bali villa” vibe, Chan says this particular material has excellent breathability and moisture-removing properties, which makes it suitable for steamy wet areas. The material comes in a 15-metre roll and is fixed to the ceiling as 86cm by 120cm panels by slats of natural oak. Dropping the ceiling by about 33cm helps define the en suite from the sleeping area while attractively concealing the recessed down lights and thermo ventilator. Woven in Indonesia from tree bark, the matting was sourced through Taobao and shipped from China.