How 2 Hong Kong apartments became 1, with Zen vibes and versatile spaces where ‘everything talks to each other’
- A couple looking for a bigger home found a solution that meant they didn’t have to move: they bought the unit next door and doubled their space
- They asked Lisa J. Lai of TATI Studio to help them renovate and add a Zen vibe as well as a work-from-home functionality to their expanded Happy Valley space
Even for a household of just two people, 350 sq ft (33 sq m) is not a lot of living space. So, when Rosanne Wong and Anthony Chu noticed their next-door neighbours moving out of their Happy Valley home on Hong Kong Island, they tracked down the landlord and negotiated a deal to buy the place, doubling the size of the 17th-floor flat they had bought in 2012.
It was the perfect solution. Already squeezed for space, the couple had been looking for something bigger, but were reluctant to move out of a familiar neighbourhood, with family nearby and an easy commute to work.
After taking the keys, just before Christmas 2020, Wong, a graphic designer, and Chu, an architect, worked closely with Lisa J. Lai, founder of TATI Studio, and independent interior designer Choy Siu-kwan to marry the two one-bedroom flats into a cohesive unit.
Because the couple wanted a Zen vibe, Lai suggested taking a cue from Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu, whose cinematography, she says, “demonstrates visual symmetry and an ability to evoke poetry in everyday existence”.
“This coincides with our clients’ desire to transform their home into a calming environment, with a sense of simplicity,” she says.
A key requirement was that the sole bedroom accommodate their king-size bed. Another was work-from-home functionality. The couple retained the second bathroom for guest use and to serve as the laundry room, using the leftover space to create a 221 sq ft main suite with separate his ’n’ hers wardrobes and a bathroom with soaking tub.