A mix of Japanese wisdom and Scandinavian lifestyle-Penthouse in Kowloon, Hong Kong: Home for a pair of young male couple

Hintegro revamped an apartment with rooftop for a pair of young male couple. Inspired by Scandinavian aesthetic, we combined different textures - wood, natural rusted black metal and textured plastering, with subtle hues like olive green, to achieve a breathable open space with sleek lines but detailed handling to complete this truly hidden gem in the concrete jungle.

We creatively solved the Feng Shui limitation. Traditionally, an open kitchen is not preferred in Chinese geomancy saying, as it believes that there will be bad flow going from outdoor to indoor. However, the client is a cooking enthusiast and keen to have an open kitchen area to host gatherings. To encountered this challenge, we made a set of wooden cabinets with fluted glass doors are designed as a space divider between the foyer and dining area. 

The wooden cabinets are also a display area for the owners’ coffee tools collection and the glass tortoise tank, custom made with hollow handles, consistently used throughout the project. Black metal is inserted as the side frame for the wooden cabinet and an Eiffel Single wall lamp is added to highlight. The semi-open kitchen and dining area become the main attraction of the flat, enjoying the stunning full-frontal view of Stonecutters’ Bridge, the design emphasised bright, light, and open space. We dedicated a design twist to balance between the limitation and the client’s need. 

To achieve multi-functional uses of the space, the living room is divided into two spaces - a living area and a multi-functional room, by a slide door of Japanese Shikui diatomaceous earth plastering and black metal frame. The TV feature wall made use of wooden flooring for better invisibility of the bedroom door, a matt finished black metal column is added to match with the balcony door frames with same touch. Therefore, the multi-functional room can be easily transformed into a guest bedroom when the slide door is closed, also with its own guest toilet and bathroom to provide privacy. The sofa bed is custom made with an ergonomic curve backrest for more comfortable seating. 

We took down the walls between two original bedrooms to open up the space to allow for a new bigger one. Matt black metal head board is added to pair with Japanese Shikui diatomaceous plastering wall. A wooden shelf is custom made to divide the sleeping and study area, with hidden storage for projector and the screen installed at ceiling, to bring these movie lovers a private home cinema. Open book shelf allowed to display and store the owners’ design book and magazine collection. 

Overall, with a mix of Japanese design wisdom, materials and furniture, and the Scandinavian aesthetics, we’ve turned this penthouse into this couple’s dream place.