Home tour: Inside a chic Hong Kong apartment with enviable high ceilings and beautiful views

Hong Kong-based interior design studio EM Bespoke revamped a luxury home in the prestigious neighbourhood, adding features that celebrate its natural light and picturesque scenery

When Emma Maclean of Hong Kong-based interior design company EM Bespoke first visited this apartment in Hong Kong’s coastal neighbourhood of Stanley, its architectural features and plentiful sunlight immediately stood out to her.

“The building is a low-rise apartment from the 1960s, so it had fantastic bones—very high ceilings; an open, spacious layout; and great access to natural light—all the elements you need for a beautiful home,” says Maclean.

The layout and spatial arrangement didn’t take advantage of these features, however, adds the designer.

Spanning 1,600 sq ft, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment, purchased last year by an European couple, originally featured a dark colour scheme, with small openings, limited storage solutions and outdated appliances.

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Above In the living room, jade green pillows and blankets add pops of colour

Over the course of nine months, Maclean and her team reworked the proportions and flow of the apartment. The idea, explains the designer, is to emphasise the space’s height and draw even more natural light in.

The master bedroom’s entrance is extended into the living area. This has resulted in what the designer describes as a more private, corridor-like entrance, which allows for the expansion of wardrobe and storage spaces.

Another important change is in increasing the height of the doorways. This results in a more balanced ratio between the doors, the walls and high ceilings. Custom, built-in cabinetry with concealed finger grooves are incorporated in the bedrooms and study: not only does this offer plenty of storage space, it also offers the spaces an understated, polished look. The guest bathroom is enlarged, accommodating a bathtub.

Above In the living room, a duo of simple coffee tables sits on top a textured rug

Above The living room is designed to offer a casual, yet luxurious, feel

One of the project’s focuses, says Maclean, is to change the mood of the interiors from dark to light—something that matches the clients’ love of clean, white spaces. This also presents challenges: “Although it sounds straightforward, seamlessly integrating all the new components while retaining the original character of the flat is a different ball game altogether,” she adds.

Warm, white oak timber flooring is installed throughout the apartment, including in the kitchen and bedrooms, creating a uniform, sophisticated look and feel for the spaces. In the bathrooms and on the balcony, ceramic tiles with a similar oak timber appearance carry the same design language: their uneven aspect and herringbone pattern add an elegant finish to the spaces.

While the home’s colour palette mostly consists of neutral hues, rich textures and pops of colour are layered to create depth and an aesthetic that is both casual and luxurious. “Working with such a subtle and muted scheme, it was imperative to incorporate textures to make the interiors stand out,” says Maclean.

Above Custom, built-in storage cabinetry with concealed finger grooves were incorporated in the bedrooms

Above In the lounge room, custom floor-to-ceiling cabinetry displays playful ceramics, books and decorative items

In the bedrooms, feature walls with colours from Farrow and Ball add character, while matching roman blinds with a detailed trim soften the interiors. In the lounge area, a large woven, sisal-like rug, as well as throw pillows and blankets in a refreshing jade green shade, are positioned. Meanwhile, light sheers allow light to flood into the space. In the bathrooms and kitchen, brass hardware with a subtle hairline finish bring warmth, balancing the snow-white Corian vanity counters.

Above In the dining space, a wooden circular table is paired with mismatched vintage chairs

Above Brass hardware with a subtle hairline finish bring warmth and sophistication to the kitchen

Throughout the apartment, hand-picked furniture pieces are paired with an eclectic artwork collection by the Hong Kong-based artist Elsa Jean De Dieu. In the living room, statement pieces, including a Mera Low lounge chair by Kam Ce Kam and an L-shape modular sofa from Fuurn are juxtaposed against minimalist storage elements, like a custom-designed white feature cabinet and an Artura Ficus rattan box. The latter are Maclean and her team’s favourite new features in the home: the cabinet’s floor-to-ceiling feature elongates the height of the space, she says, while its gentle arches at the top soften the interiors. It’s stylish as it is functional: “By combining a mix of open shelving and concealed storage, we wanted to provide flexible storage options, where special keepsakes can be displayed—while other items can be hidden from sight.”

Above A shot of the dining table

Above A calming palette of light pastel tones defines the living room area

Among the most memorable parts of the project, the demolition was a standout, says the designer—an exciting junction that marks her team’s design and vision beginning to come to life. “We’re flexible and adapt to our clients’ requirements and ideas, but we do love spaces that give us a blank canvas to experiment with.”

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Credits

Photography

Lydia Cheng

Tatler Asia

Home tour: Inside a chic Hong Kong apartment with enviable high ceilings and beautiful views