Mid-century modern meets retro style in a Hong Kong home that marries masculine minimalism with colourful quirkiness
- A couple waited two decades for the chance to buy an apartment in their favoured complex, then faced the challenge of accommodating their opposing tastes
- A designer bridged the gap between his desire for a minimalist look and her liking for colour via a neutral palette spiced with art, textures and patterns
The saying about good things coming to those who wait could have been coined with Cindy and David Lee in mind.
In 2003, after trying without success to buy a flat in a Mid-Levels development they particularly liked, the Hong Kong couple (who have two sons, aged 11 and 14), decided to keep renting until something comparable came up.
Fast forward almost two decades and the Lees, who still had not stepped onto the housing ladder, heard that a 2,600 sq ft (240 square metre) unit in that same complex was for sale.
“The building is my husband’s favourite because of its facilities, convenient location and spectacular urban views,” says Cindy of the residential block they moved into a year ago. “Although we kept looking, we never found anything we liked as much.
YC came up with a style that was neither mine nor David’s but yet has elements of both
“Many of the apartments had originally been sold to friends and family of the owner and almost never came onto the market – especially units on higher floors such as this one.
“It was a rare opportunity.”
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Once they had sealed the deal to make the apartment theirs, they contacted interiors expert YC Chen, founder of design studio hoo, whose work they had been following for several years.
Although the Lees did not have a specific style in mind, they recognised they needed someone who could come up with an interior scheme that would act as a bridge to their opposing tastes.
David prefers a minimal and masculine look; Cindy likes Chinese antiques and a colourful, more quirky, aesthetic.
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Left to their own devices, she says, their interior would have ended up a mishmash of styles, with no sense of cohesion.
“YC came up with a style that was neither mine nor David’s but yet has elements of both,” says Cindy. “I found it hard to part with my antiques but I kept a few pieces and gave the rest to people who loved them.”
Inspired by the property’s location and history, Chen describes his design concept as “old money – a mixture of mid-century modern merged with retro”.
He kept the original four-bedroom, two-bathroom layout but created a defined entrance hall, with features such as fluted wood, art-deco-style lamps and an archway inlaid with brushed brass, setting the scene for the decor beyond.
Chen also borrowed a chunk of space from the living room that he used to create a good-sized storeroom to the left of the kitchen door. And a “secret” man cave for David was made possible by enlarging the fourth bedroom.
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“The living area would otherwise have been too big and there would have been a lot of wasted space,” says Chen, who took a year to complete the project because of pandemic restrictions.
Keeping the palette neutral throughout the flat, Chen managed to satisfy David’s wish for minimalist decor while giving Cindy the opportunity to spice it up with colourful artwork and plants.
He also added abundant natural materials with various textures and patterns – a tiled stone feature wall in the living room; fluted wood cladding on walls and furniture; richly veined marble; and chevron, engineered-oak flooring – balancing the hard textures with rugs and comfy soft furnishings.
And he played with the building’s circular nature, emphasising the apartment’s shape with curving light troughs and the inclusion of rounded furniture such as the bedside tables, headboard extensions [see Tried + tested below] and semicircular sofa.
“I used the same design language throughout the apartment without going overboard,” says Chen. “The repetition of certain themes such as curves, brass, fluted wood and mid-century modern geometrics is so subtle but it pulls everything together and gives the home a very soothing look and feel.”
Living room
One of David Lee’s must-have pieces in the living room was the Standard sofa by Edra from Nature Evolution (natureevolution.com.hk).
The coffee tables were sourced from Taobao (taobao.com) and the rug was custom made in mainland China. The floor lamp, armchairs and side table are reproductions sourced through Taobao.
Entrance looking through to living area
On either side of the brushed brass arch, designed and made by hoo (hoo.com.hk), are fluted tiles by Living Ceramics from Anta Building Material Supplier (antahk.com).
The engineered oak chevron flooring came from Wooderland (tel: 6680 2121) and the tiles on the feature wall behind the television were from Pacific Lifestyle (pls.hk). The audiovisual unit came from Taobao.
Dining area
Over the marble-topped dining table from JG Casa (jgcasa.com) is a pendant light from Roll & Hill (rollandhill.com). The dining chairs and cabinet were sourced from Taobao and the provenance of the artwork has been forgotten.
Study
David Lee’s man cave features wall-mounted shelving and cabinets from String Furniture (stringfurniture.com).
The bookshelves were designed and custom made by hoo and the desk, desk chair and floor lamp (similar to the Ceto floor lamp by Ross Gardam; rossgardam.com.au) were old pieces that moved in with the Lees. The rug was custom made in mainland China.
Kitchen
The kitchen cabinets came from Royal Kitchen Design (royalkitchendesign.com.hk) and the brass-and-glass door was designed and made by hoo. The marble wall and floor tiles were all from ASA Tiles (asatileshk.com).
Bathroom
Designed and installed by hoo, the main en suite bathroom is fitted with marble wall tiles and slate floor tiles, all by Living Ceramics from Anta. The blinds came from May On (37 Fleming Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2598 0031).
Tried + tested
To match the shape of the flat, YC Chen, founder of design studio hoo, gave the walnut-veneer headboard in the main bedroom curved extensions. There is space behind one side for the curtains; a marble top on the other side fills the gap between the headboard and the wall.
The bedside table is available on amazon.com and the pendant lamp was sourced through Taobao.
