A Hong Kong apartment’s Japanese-inspired interior design uses wood, earth and stone to create a bespoke home for couple and their dog
- The pandemic sparked a couple’s ‘impulsive’ decision to buy a 900 sq ft flat in Yuen Long, in the western New Territories in Hong Kong, for them and their dog
- They turned the four-bedroom apartment into a one-bedroom space with home offices, and with a Japanese design aesthetic that leans heavily on natural materials
Covid-19 was a catalyst for many life changes. For Kingson Kwan Chun-kit and wife Anna, the pandemic sparked an “impulsive” decision to buy a flat in Yuen Long, in the western New Territories.
“We needed more space; it was reasonably priced; and the estate’s 100,000 sq ft (9,300 square metres) of gardens were perfect for us to walk our dog,” says Kwan, an entrepreneur in the human resources field.
The purchase would also be an opportunity for Kwan to work with Sai Chan, creative director of MOFT Studio, and express his latent flair for interior design.
Only the couple and Aka, their Shiba Inu, would live in the original four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 900 sq ft (84 square metre) flat on the fifth floor of an eight-year-old building. This allowed scope to reconfigure the layout to create a lavish bedroom suite, two separate work-from-home areas, an open kitchen and a room to host gatherings.
I don’t like it when you go into a flat and see everything all at once. I prefer mystery
The construction component of Chan’s remit was made easier as, she explains, only one wall in the flat was structural (and it wasn’t in the middle). The rest could be demolished.
Kwan’s love of wabi-sabi, the Japanese design aesthetic based on imperfection and impermanence, is evident in the use of natural materials such as wood, plant fibres, earth and stone. Walls and ceilings are finished with a faux stone paint coating in light beige.
