Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/design-interiors/article/3040360/how-make-most-curved-interior-life
Post Magazine/ Design & Interiors

How to make the most of a curved interior – life in a semicircular home

A Mid-Levels flat makes the most of its contours and is almost unrecognisable after an extreme makeover; the owners couldn’t be happier

Brandon and Krista Lau’s Mid-Levels flat, designed by Bean Buro, embraces its unusual layout with stylish, modern simplicity. Photography: Bean Buro

Circular towers are often the stuff of fairy tales but the Mid-Levels building accommodating Brandon and Krista Lau’s 2,040sq ft flat is as real and round as they come. The couple’s three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which they share with son Ben, three, and daughter Amélie, one, occupies one half of a storey and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founder of interiors company Bean Buro, was keen to emphasise its curves.

“The floor plan is basically two arcs: the outer, or main, arc contains all the rooms while the inner one comprises the corridor, children’s and guest bathrooms and cup­boards,” says Kinugasa-Tsui. “It was an interesting project but it was a challenge to design. You can make grand plans but at the end of the day a home has to be practical, especially when you have young children.”

Although Brandon could see the flat’s potential, he disliked its original layout. The main bedroom was positioned near the front door and had the best views over the harbour while the kitchen was squashed into a small space at the far end.

“For me, a living area with an open kitchen is the heart of a home. Krista loves to cook and it’s where we spend most of our time, with our children or entertaining friends,” says Brandon, a banker. “When we bought the apartment, the master bedroom received most of the natural light while the rest of the property was darker and dimmer, which didn’t make any sense.”

Kinugasa-Tsui and Bean Buro co-founder Lorène Faure knocked down the partition walls dividing the rooms in the outer arc and swapped the positions of the kitchen and main bedroom. They created a sociable, open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, leading onto the children’s rooms via a mirrored sliding door, and a main bedroom and bathroom. The Laus initially thought the flat’s circular form would make it less efficient but the opposite is true, particularly where the children’s space is concerned. Another sliding door between the youngsters’ bedrooms can be opened to create one big play area – or, as Ben has just dis­covered, an exciting circuit around which to run.

“The sliding doors can be left open to promote a flow of movement and inter­action as well as highlight the building’s gentle curve and sweeping views,” says Kinugasa-Tsui. “Access to each individual room can also be made via separate doors leading off the corridor.”

The Laus had a limited budget, so compromises had to be made. They had to give up the idea of a false ceiling and although Krista wanted marble in the bathrooms and kitchen, Kinugasa-Tsui alerted her to its considerable expense. He suggested terrazzo instead.

“I love it!” says Krista, who works in the wine industry. “It has a wonder­ful stony look and gives the kitchen a cafe-like feel. We initially wanted huge terrazzo tiles in the bathroom to avoid a lot of joins but the pieces wouldn’t fit in the lift so we had to downsize.”

When it came to wall tiles for the guest bathroom and kitchen, Krista wasn’t willing to forgo the expensive textured geometrics she had fallen in love with, knowing that she wouldn’t be happy with a cheaper but inferior version. Kinugasa-Tsui and Faure used them sparingly on a single wall in each area so Krista could satisfy her aesthetic sense while not feeling guilty about splurging.

“Once I’d seen the best ones, it was hard to let them go,” she says, with a laugh.

The couple smartened up the balcony with outdoor terrazzo stone, plants, a barbecue and seating.

The flat is dominated by pale green, with duck egg blueshelving, cabinetry and feature walls and doors lining one side of the corridor. The blue is used in the children’s rooms, to lend them energy, and combines with white walls, pale-wood flooring and matt-black accents to give the home a fresh, almost Scandinavian look.

“We like the modern simplicity of the decor,” says Krista. “We knew what we wanted from the start but we never realised it would end up looking as good as this.”


Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Dining area The CH339 dining table, by Carl Hansen, was about HK$43,000 and the Neu 13 dining chairs were HK$2,300 each by Hay. The bespoke television cabinet was designed by Bean Buro and made by R&C Engineering (17/F, International Industrial Centre, 2 Kwei Tei Street, Fo Tan, tel: 2606 3262). The ceiling light, artwork and clock were the family’s existing pieces.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Corridor The bespoke cupboards (HK$32,000) were designed by Bean Buro and built by R&C Engineering.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Living room The Outline sofa (HK$43,000), Oslo armchair (HK$24,000) and Ply rug (HK$12,000) were all from Muuto. The oak and white marble coffee table was HK$12,000 from &tradition and the Valet Mixology Centre shelving unit was HK$14,000 from Stellar Works.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Kitchen The cabinets were built by Kitench for about HK$240,000.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Balcony The balcony, laid with terrazzo stone, is furnished with outdoor pieces from the family’s previous home.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Main bedroom The custom-made furniture, designed by Bean Buro and made by R&C Engineering, includes the headboard, which incorporates bedside tables (HK$28,000), and the dressing table (HK$18,000). The AJ wall and table lamps (HK$6,500 each) came from Louis Poulsen and the Strap mirror (HK$2,400) was from Hay.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Child’s room The shelving and storage unit in Ben’s bedroom was designed by Bean Buro and cost about HK$73,000 for construction and fitting by R&C Engineering. The Zuny Hippo was HK$5,800 from Homeless. The bunk bed and rug came with the family from their previous home.

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Bathroom The Laus saved on the white tiles, which were about HK$130 per square metre from Equipe, but splurged on the Etna terrazzo tiles in the shower (about HK$350 per square foot) from Marmi Scala.


Tried + tested

Photo: Bean Buro
Photo: Bean Buro

Peekaboo! Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, of Bean Buro, cut out two different-sized squares in the partition wall between the children’s bedrooms and furnished them with little yellow doors. Christened “Peeking Windows” by the architect, they provide a connection between the rooms and allow the children to interact with each other in a fun and novel way.