Celia Hu and her husband, Frederic Mahoue, took a big leap of faith when they purchased their current apartment after chancing upon it online. We bought this place without seeing it. Judging from the pictures, it looked like it was in a good state and it ticked all the boxes,” says Celia.
The building – dating back to the ’60s and considered the oldest on Conduit Road – and its convenient location made it an irresistible buy. I always wanted to live in an older building because the efficiency is always higher; being a stroll away from Soho is a definite plus,” shares Celia, who is often out and about for her work as editor-at-large of Foodie Magazine and founder of the blog Girl Meets Cooking. What sealed the deal, however, is the uninterrupted mountain view – a rarity in this area – that provides the apartment with its grounded, calming ambience.
Though the space has good bones, it definitely needed a renovation in order to accommodate the other musts on the couple’s list. This included a larger kitchen, smarter storage and a transformation into a brighter, more modern space. They enlisted Yick Tai Design & Engineering to address these concerns and the firm came up with plenty of ingenious ideas. There’s the sleek hallway that conceals a corridor full of storage, as well as the sliding doors that disappear into the walls to maximise space and grant the ability to be flexible with the layout. One highlight is a door that closes off the master bedroom area and links it to the bathroom across, creating a private en suite; a gentle push and the layout is back to its public” configuration. These are simple yet well-thought-out touches that make a world of difference for the family of three.
Intelligent layout aside, what Celia and her husband are happiest about is the feeling of openness and the abundance of natural light. A key factor was breaking down the walls of one room and replacing them with glass, allowing the light to permeate the entire apartment.
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