Flexible and smart design makes the most of light-filled Hong Kong apartment created by combining two units
- Creating one home from two units took a lot of designing, but the solution makes optimal use of the light and air flow at both ends of the apartment in Western
- Styled in blue and green, the three-bedroom apartment for a couple, their toddler and two cats shows a clear division between entertainment and private areas
It took three months and 14 drafts to get the design exactly right for this 1,600 sq ft (149 square metre) apartment renovation in the heart of Western district on Hong Kong Island. “We started with a choice of three options and then went into a lot of redesigns,” explains its lead designer, Emma Maclean of EM Bespoke.
Situated in an older building, the flat was originally two units – one larger than the other – which were to be combined into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, plus helper’s quarters. With the possibility of integrating other neighbouring units in future, the design needed to be smart and flexible.
Maclean, who usually works on commercial projects, called in a regular collaborator, architect Raffaella Bernasconi, director of Bernasconi Design, to help with the design process. “Residential projects take a lot longer [than commercial ones], and we complement each other well: Raffaela is great on the technical side; I’m on client liaison; and we work together on planning the scheme, materials, colours …” Maclean says.
The biggest decision for the clients – a couple with a toddler, two cats and plans for another baby – was the alignment of the open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas to take best advantage of the flat’s double aspect. It has a long balcony at the back and, at the front, access onto a cantilevered eave over the building’s entrance.
The use of blue on the cabinets imparts the space with energy and dynamism
“The clients had to choose between an axis that would have placed all the living areas on either the front or back of the space, or one that gave the living areas access to both [aspects],” Maclean says.
In the final arrangement, the living area at the front of the building flows past the front door to the dining area and kitchen at the back, maximising light and air from both sides of the building. Both the kitchen and the master suite open onto the back balcony, which Maclean calls “an oasis in the heart of the city”.
All those months of planning produced a considered, coherent scheme. The balcony, for example, has ceramic floor tiles the same colour as the walnut interior floors to provide a continuous view between the indoors and outdoors.
There is a strong division between the entertaining spaces and the private areas – three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small study, which are grouped at the far end of the flat, allowing the adults to entertain without waking the baby. They are accessed via a fluted-glass door, which is perfectly aligned with a matching door on the other side of the living space that leads to the helper’s area (see Tried + tested).
The use of materials, colour (lively blue in the kitchen and entertaining spaces; calm, mossy green in the bedrooms) and subtle details tie the design together.
How couple turned two average Hong Kong flats into family duplex
Most of the flooring is set in a chevron pattern, with a neat brass inlay separating the wooden parquet from the ceramic tiles in the kitchen. The vertical lines of the fluted glass are echoed in the Japanese-style slats on the built-in storage – a large shoe cupboard by the front door, a low-slung television unit, and a narrow cupboard tucked into a niche between a structural pillar and the external wall in the living room – as well as in the 3D wall tiles in the bathrooms.
Large-format marbled Neolith tiles appear throughout the design, including the kitchen backsplash, the bathrooms and on the wall behind the TV in the living room. Touches of gold in the marbling are picked up in the brass door handles, kitchen and bathroom taps and showers, light switches and even the doorstops.
“If you look closely at all the doors, there is a consistent horizontal groove line at handle height that runs throughout the entire apartment, as if there was a ribbon tying together all the interior spaces,” Maclean says.
The owners like to cook, so having a good working kitchen was important. “Our client’s husband is very tall, so we maximised the ceiling height to 2.75 metres in the kitchen and designed extra-deep counters that allowed the overhead cupboards to be set further back to avoid him banging his head when he’s working at the countertops,” she says.
“The use of blue on the cabinets imparts the space with energy and dynamism, which is exactly what you want in your entertainment space.”
Living room
A structural pillar in the living room is disguised by a set of built-in wall shelves and a floor-to-ceiling cupboard with a Japanese-style slatted wood door, both designed by EM Bespoke (embespoke.com) and custom made by KW Interior Designs (Charles Wong, tel: 9528 0088).
The sofa was from Tree (tree.com.hk) and the cushions and plant-pot basket came from Mirth (mirthhome.com). The throw was from Zara Home (zarahome.com/hk), the floor lamp was bought through Taobao (taobao.com) and the coffee table was custom made by Sprue (sprue.hk).
Dining area
A built-in banquette, designed by EM Bespoke and made by KW Interior Designs, saves space in the dining area, where a “blind door” leads to a pantry and utility room. The dining table was custom made by Sprue and the Wishbone dining chairs, by Carl Hansen & Son, came from Nature Evolution (natureevolution.com.hk).
The artwork is a length of Bleu de Chine fabric from Pierre Frey (pierrefrey.com) stretched over a frame. The cushions came from Mirth and the brass fruit bowl was from Zara Home. The chevron floor tiles are by Mutina (mutina.it).
Main bedroom
A wall of storage is discreetly tucked behind doors in a deep mossy green, with more storage hidden behind the bed. The baby’s room and guest bedroom have similar floor-to-ceiling green wardrobes. The cabinets, headboard and cat tree were designed by EM Bespoke and custom made by KW Interior Designs.
The lounge chair, bedside lamps and throw came from Zara Home, and the ottoman was from Ikea. The artwork is the designer’s own.
Entrance
One of the owner’s two cats stands guard on the Ikea console table (ikea.com.hk) next to the front door. The hooks were bought a long time ago. The light switches were from Buster + Punch (busterandpunch.com).
Kitchen
Out of sight of the living area, behind a floor-to-ceiling shoe cupboard at the front door, the kitchen is a hard-working space kitted out with deep counters, an oversized sink and top-of-the-line appliances, including a Wolf oven (subzero-wolf.com). The cabinetry was designed by EM Bespoke and built by KW Interior Designs, which also custom made the countertop and backsplash using large-form Neolith tiles (neolith.com). The brass tap came from Hotbath (hotbath.it).
Bathroom
In the main en-suite, matt grey Rombini Triangle tiles from Mutina lend texture and interest to the backsplash. Gold-coloured marbling in the Neolith countertop is echoed in the wall tiles, also from Mutina. The brass taps and towel rails came from Hotbath. The mirror was designed by EM Bespoke and custom made by KW Interior Designs. The door handle was from Buster + Punch.
Tried + Tested
The fluted-glass door to the utility area is missing a panel to allow the owners’ two cats access to their beds and litter tray, which are tucked neatly away in a specially designed unit. The door is mirrored by an almost identical one to the private bedroom areas, aligned in perfect symmetry on the other side of the living space.
EM Bespoke designed the door, which was custom made by KW Interior Designs. The chevron pattern walnut flooring is by Karlian International (karlianintl.com).
