A light-filled Hong Kong home, finished with industrial touches and custom furniture, and the statement item that gives it personality
- A couple reached out to their friend and interior designer Christine Ritter to help them with the renovations to their 1,330 sq ft flat in Happy Valley
- They started out wanting a minimalist interior with an industrial feel, but worked with Ritter to come up with a concept that would feel less raw, more inviting
When Rex and Molly Manning bought their 1,330 sq ft (124 square metre) flat in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, they envisaged creating a minimal interior with an industrial feel and a good dose of concrete. But, after asking the multitalented Christine Ritter, a friend and interior designer (who had also made Molly’s wedding dress in 2015 and runs a subscription-based floristry business), to help them with their renovations last year, they had second thoughts.
“Industrial style is very cool but it can feel cold and sterile,” says Ritter, of Studio CHR. “As Molly, Rex and I started to discuss the design concept, they realised that a strictly industrial apartment wasn’t for them after all. This project became about breaking down the style and making it less raw so it would feel more inviting but still contain aspects of the contemporary aesthetic.”
She did this by picking and choosing various industrial elements and working with the architecture of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom property to incorporate them. To balance the industrial with a sense of home, she selected specific beams throughout the flat to cover in cement; full walls were kept white to enhance the apartment’s brightness.
Thanks to the abundance of natural daylight, the colour and texture of the final cement accents have a prominence that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Sea view Hong Kong apartment gets a contemporary look
“The main reason we chose this apartment was its light. We looked at a lot of properties in Mid-Levels and none of them had enough light, which was a non-starter for us,” says Molly, an Australian who has been living in Hong Kong for nine years. “Christine also replaced all the existing small windows with large, single panes, which made the apartment brighter even on a dull day.”
Ritter tried to give each room a character of its own while simultaneously keeping the same feel throughout. Both bathrooms have feature walls while the main bedroom was painted beige to produce a calming vibe.
A teal velvet armchair and a pink-themed painting, created by a friend at an art jam event, break up the whiteness of the living area but it is the metallic pendant light above the dining table and the patterned wooden sideboard (which houses wine and beer fridges) that steal the show.
Rooftop jacuzzi, bold yellow sofa improve on penthouse’s hotel-style decor
“I personally would never have gone for a gold light and certainly not something as large as this,” says Molly. “I am so glad we let Christine’s expertise guide us, as it gives the space so much personality. We love it and it’s one of the first things guests comment on when they come round.”
Although Ritter gutted the flat, she kept the original layout, reclaiming only a chunk of space from what had been an oversized storage room to enlarge the main bathroom. The couple initially said that they wanted the remaining bedrooms to be two studies with space for a gym. A couple of months into the renovations they suddenly became vague about their precise plans for one of those rooms.
“If I started talking about the decor or which gym equipment to go for, Rex and Molly would change the subject or say they preferred to focus on other areas. I couldn’t understand it as, up until then, they had been so enthusiastic about everything I suggested,” says Ritter. “What I didn’t know at the time was that Molly had discovered she was pregnant and was waiting until she got the go-ahead to announce it.
Sea-view duplex lacked the wow factor. Curves and angles provided it
The second study consequently became the nursery – and the Mannings are now proud parents. Ritter kept the room white and bright but once the couple revealed they were expecting a boy, she painted one wall a soft sage green and decorated another with dinosaur decals in shades of grey that echo the concrete elsewhere.
Apart from the bed frame, all of the furniture was custom made or bought to fit the flat. It took longer to arrive because of the pandemic and there was also the challenge of an angular stairwell to factor in and overcome. Six months down the line, however, and the new family’s new home was complete.
“We’ve stayed at home a lot more since we had our baby but that hasn’t bothered us at all, as we love being here,” says Molly. “One unexpected bonus, which we didn’t know about when we bought the place, has been the beautiful sunrises we see from this apartment and let’s just say we’ve witnessed a lot of those recently.”
Living and dining area
The Minka-Aire Simple ceiling fan, by Keep Cool, was bought from Tree (tree.com.hk). The rugs were from Overstock (overstock.com) and the floor lamp, cylindrical leather stools and walnut finish C-shape side tables all came from Decor8 (decor8.com.hk).
The lantern had been used at the couple’s wedding and the multicoloured artwork in the corridor was bought on a holiday to Cambodia. The source of the media console has been forgotten and the cherub sculptures were a wedding gift.
Main bedroom
Rex and Molly Manning kept their bed from their previous apartment but bought Bellwood side tables, by Umbra, from Homeless (homeless.hk) and Opjet Paris wall lights from Smallable (smallable.com).
Bedroom detail
Darren Design & Associates built the vanity table under a window in the main bedroom. The wishbone-style chair was sourced through Taobao (taobao.com).
Dining room
The Gervasoni suspension lamp, by Paola Navone, came from 1stDibs (1stdibs.com). The dining table was custom made by Artura Ficus (arturaficus.com) and the chairs were found on Taobao.
The built-in sideboard and wall-mounted cupboards were designed and made by Darren Design & Associates (dda.store) with direction from Christine Ritter, of Studio CHR by Christine Ritter Designs (christineritterdesigns.com), who also designed the mirrors. The blue Love Handles vase is by Anissa Kermiche (anissakermiche.com).
Living area
A friend painted the abstract artwork during an art-jam event. A teal armchair from Taobao picks up the painting’s pop of blue. The sofa came from Tequila Kola (tequilakola.com) and the coffee table was custom made by Studio CHR by Christine Ritter Designs.
Main bathroom
The basin came from Infinite Bathroom Boutique (hkstore.infinite-bath.com) and the unit beneath it was designed and built by Darren Design & Associates with direction from Ritter. The Lindbyn mirror was from Ikea (ikea.com.hk) and the pendant light from Ali Express.
Nursery
The cot came from Zara Home (zarahome.com) and the rug from Overstock. The Kallax storage unit and the Strandmon armchair and footstool were from Ikea. The Minka-Aire Simple ceiling fan, by Keep Cool, was from Tree. The dinosaur decals were found on Etsy (etsy.com).
