Modern home interior design sees Hong Kong apartment go from dark and dreary to bright and beautiful

Faced with a dark and traditionally outfitted flat in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels area, local design studio Liquid Interiors was tasked with modernising the space to suit different tastes and uses.

The newly bought 1,180 sq ft (110 sq m) flat would need to work as a modern and comfortable first home for a bachelor, and also as an elegant venue from which his parents could entertain.

The clients were nevertheless united in wanting to display new and treasured artworks and furniture. This proved to be a useful starting point for Liquid Interiors’ founder and principal interior designer Rowena Gonzales and interior designer Michele Tagufa.

“When you’re looking at art you want a quiet, reflective atmosphere – a place where you can be deep in thought, and connect,” says Gonzales. “What we found originally was quite dim and classically gaudy. Everything was gold and crystals, with a dark, thickly lacquered red-brown wood floor – really old school. The family like traditional things, but they were really all looking for something more fresh and stylish.”

With no changes to the floor plan necessary, the redesign focused on lightening and brightening the space, and creating a distinctive style.

Key inspiration came from a largely monochromatic artwork depicting rocky mountains (displayed above the console table in the dining room). “It led to the idea of a quiet stream,” says Gonzales. “Although we wanted [the space] to feel fresh and current, we also wanted it to feel natural, like walking through a quiet forest along a black stream, with pebbles and greenery, beams of light and moments of peace.”