How this Hong Kong home pays homage to Tokyo ryokans

There’s value in incubating design ideas, rather than jumping straight in. For a family of three, three years of living in their new, four-storey Sai Kung town house allowed time to refine their wants and needs, and engage a designer, before embarking on a refit they had intended from the outset. The initial planning with Hong Kong-based In Him’s Interior Design began in November 2022 and the construction work, which took 12 months, commenced in June 2023. The owners’ brief to Samuel Lam Chun-him, In Him’s founder and lead designer, was to take inspiration from their favourite hotel, Hoshinoya Tokyo, a luxurious 21st century take on a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn), complete with an outdoor hot spring on the top floor. Because of differences in building codes between Japan and Hong Kong, traditional Japanese timber construction methods could not be applied. Lam says the architectural details of this residence are an adaptation: Japanese-inspired, while handcrafted on the mainland to suit Hong Kong conditions. At 3,000 square feet, the house, in theory, had adequate floor space to accommodate the family and their domestic staff but, according to Lam, the spatial layout of its long and narrow footprint was not particularly liveable. To begin with, there were “too many stairs”, he says, despite the presence of a private lift connecting all levels to the basement car park. And with kitchen, living and dining areas all squashed onto one floor, it lacked the social space one would expect in a home of this calibre. Pivotal to Lam’s renovation plan was replacing the linear staircase with a more space-efficient and aesthetically pleasing spiral. The former landings were reassigned to create usable pockets – one accommodating a desk – thereby gaining an extra 300 square feet of space along the pathway to the top. The reconfigured floor plan provides three bedrooms plus a toy room, three bathrooms, and helpers’ quarters on the second floor. The dining room has been relocated to the ground-floor entrance level – above the basement car park – with the expanded living area and kitchen on the first floor. An island bar for casual meals is incorporated into the timber and granite kitchen, while a terrace off the living area offers alfresco dining overlooking a small garden. A palette of earthy, natural, textural materials moves harmoniously from light and dark wood to terrazzo and stone, and recycled cement wall treatments. Referencing the ryokan’s interiors, Lam designed the living room ceiling as a grid of ebony timber squares crafted to order at In Him’s Interior Design’s partner factory on the mainland, and assembled piece by piece on site. In keeping with Japanese interior design principles, this ceiling technique conceals visible fixtures. Hidden behind the panels are plumbing, air-conditioning ducts and overhead beams, with lighting nestled into the grid lines to maintain an uncluttered aesthetic overhead. Four matching timber columns in each corner of the living room, added for visual effect, do double duty as storage. The drama continues up high, with the crowning glory being the parents’ domain on the top floor. Having a whole level to themselves allowed Lam to design a lavish dressing room, a second walk-in wardrobe and dedicated display cases for collections of designer handbags, watches and jewellery. The owners’ onsen-fuelled dream is realised, however, beyond the en suite. On a former balcony, now enclosed on the sides for privacy with the roof left open to the elements, a handcrafted wooden bathtub provides the outdoor bathing experience they craved. Lam says the key to pulling off the intricate concepts specified for this project was in having a clean, clutter-free space to begin with. “It’s all about proportion, scale, and atmosphere,” he says. “When minor things like pipes, ducts and beams are concealed, the design can be so much better.” Living room B&B Italia sofa set and coffee table, from Colourliving (colourliving.shop). Side table (special edition), from Hermès (hermes.com). Ryokan-inspired ceiling in grid pattern ebony veneer panels, designed by In Him’s Interior Design and built by the studio’s in-house contractor. Stone plastic agglomerate wall panelling, from Nexon Building Materials (nexonbm.com). Italian Natural Terrazzo flooring, from Anta (antahk.com). Rug, from Tat Ming Flooring (tatmingflooring.com) Dining room Dining table, from Archiproducts (archiproducts.com). Fritz Hansen Wishbone chairs, from Lane Crawford (lanecrawford.com). Open pantry and spiral staircase, designed and built by In Him’s Interior Design (inhims.com). Pendant light, from Artemide (artemide.com) Main bedroom B&B Italia bed and bedhead, from Colourliving. Ebony feature wall, by In Him’s Interior Design’s in-house contractor, with concealed track lighting from Artemide. Mahandi Pagoda wallpaper, from Carolyn Ray (carolynray.com) En suite and onsen Stone basin and stand, from Fantastic Home (fantastichome.com.hk), elevated to the owners’ desired height on a platform designed by Samuel Lam. Winckelmans floor tiles, from Gold Bulls (13/F, Wing Yip Industrial Building, 21 Wing Yip Street, Kwai Chung, tel: 2423 3188). Outdoor wooden bathtub, custom made by In Him’s Interior Design’s partner factory in mainland China. Timber-look wall planks, made from recycled plastic, and outdoor ceramic floor tiles, sourced by contractor Kitchen Cabinetry in black oak with black granite counters, designed and made by In Him’s Interior Design Toy room Chaise longue, from BoConcept (boconcept.com). Black oak flooring, timber ceiling and toy display cabinet, by In Him’s Interior Design’s in-house contractor. Rug, from Tat Ming Flooring

How this Hong Kong home pays homage to Tokyo ryokans

Japanese hotel Hoshinoya, which bridges tradition and modernity, provided the inspiration for this Sai Kung family home