For Cyrus Cheng, the beauty was in the details on this Happy Valley project. “The brief was that we had to adapt to the existing floors and that we weren’t allowed to change the layout,” says the Chinc’s Workshop designer, who instead chose to make “a lot of cosmetic changes.”
The apartment is part of a relatively new development in Happy Valley, and as a result, its kitchen and bathrooms were in good shape, as was the engineered oak flooring. The existing colour palette was light, with beige and golden undertones, which Chinc’s Workshop was asked to work with as well. “They wanted something warm and light and refreshing,” says Cyrus. Scroll through the gallery below (Photography: King Fung; Styling: Gemma Blest) to experience the impactful design:
Chinc’s Workshop therefore had to come up with other ways to make their mark on the flat, and to give it character, so decided to rethink the walls and cabinetry. They covered the walls in textured, upholstered panels; these panels resemble seagrass wallpaper, but they aren’t made with fabric. “The owners wanted it maintenance free, so we tried to mimic the effect of fabric,” says Cyrus.
Chinc’s Workshop also installed curved, layered ceilings and light troughs, giving the rooms a lofty, airy feel. They also created a lattice effect just where the ceiling meets the walls, which creates a visual signature and conceals the home’s air-conditioners.
Echoing the curves of the ceiling are the built-in cabinets, which follow wave-like paths along the walls. Like the ceilings, the top edges of the cabinets are layered, with bevelled edges in marble and bronze that call to mind stepped Balinese rice paddies. “We tried to do this as delicately as possible,” says Cyrus. “Everything is trimmed, and with a very fine frame.”
The overall effect of the curving, layered edges is to create a subtle sense of dynamism in the home, and to soften the space. The furniture reflects this softness, too: in the living room, the HC28 dining table and chairs have rounded edges, as does the sofa. In the bedroom, an upholstered headboard behind the bed adds to the comfortable, cosy vibe. Cyrus and his team chose to work with a velvety, blue-grey fabric here, panelling it in much the same way as the walls in the living room. “We thought the blue-grey colour went well with the colours and the warmth of the place,” says Cyrus.
As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the common design elements that run through the home serve another purpose. They are space saving. In the master bedroom, Cyrus and the team used the curving forms to maximise on cupboard space. They created an “S” shaped structure, with cabinets on either side of the curve, facing in opposite directions. At one end of the “S”, the cabinets face the bed, and these are intended for the owners’ clothes. At the other end of the “S”, the cabinets face the en suite bathroom, with space for towels and other linens.
Like many other new builds in Hong Kong, this apartment initially suffered from inefficient square footage and small rooms. Chinc’s Workshop cleverly used space to counteract this, and their thoughtful techniques have also turned this into a warm family home with a design language of its own.
Cyrus kept things light and simple in the study.
Lush green views and a heavenly bed in the master bedroom. The blue-grey, upholstered headboard adds softness and depth to the neutral colour scheme.
