Does Kowloon’s Mantin Heights really combine comfort with class?

There’s something undeniably special about any home that has enough stylistic flourishes to demonstrate its owner’s personality, while still retaining a welcoming vibe. For those looking for a prime example of just such a phenomenon, they could do worse than consider Mantin Heights, a new luxury development set in the very heart of Kowloon.

To even the most casual of visitors, it is clear the developers subscribed to a grand vision from the word go. The giveaway comes from the structure’s striking exterior, complete with an eye-catching rectangular cutaway at its base. This is not a residence you are likely to confuse with any other.

It is also more than apparent that the designers and architects briefed to make Mantin Heights a little special took full advantage of its commanding presence at the very centre of Kowloon Peninsula, a location that gifts it with breathtaking views out across Hong Kong. Indeed, so lofty and singular is its setting that it’s hard to remember that the building is just a few minutes walk from the nearest MTR station. Panoramic views and proximity to public transport – could you really ask for anything more?

Kate Babington is the managing director of TREE, a Hong Kong-headquartered supplier of eco-friendly sustainable furniture, the company commissioned to provide the furnishings for each of Mantin Heights’ three-bedroom penthouse-style apartments. More than happy to discuss what was surely a pet project, she says: “We were briefed to foster a sense of spatial awareness in each room and, above all, to create a home that was as luxurious as it was comfortable.

“As a result, there is a real emphasis on simplicity and minimalism throughout the space, with solid eco-wood furniture, complete with streamlined silhouettes designed to chime perfectly with the proportions of each room, deployed throughout. Though clean and modern in design, each piece is also highly utilitarian, giving the home an easy elegance and an urban edge.”

Entering the apartment, one is instantly struck by the tactical minimalism of the atrium space. One side is dominated by a streamlined window console-style table in solid, sustainably-sourced oak – the perfect spot to drop off keys and to display any of the less disreputable style mags. On the opposite side, there is an extensive mirror, perfect for a last-minute pre-exit inspection of cosmetic correctness or tie-knot acceptability.

Inevitably, a sense of openness and tranquillity is immediately imparted, with visitors feeling welcome and departees reassured that they are ready to face the world. For arrivals, this nurturing sentiment is reinforced by the beautifully-appointed living room the hall space opens onto. Here, the generously-proportioned windows offer panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

As a counterpoint to this engaging exterior, the room’s oak-panelled walls feature cool neutral tones and coordinating floor patterns. A Mikado table – a dining platform of intricate timber construction, complete with tapered, cross-patterned legs – dominates the far end of the room.

Moving up a floor, the first of the home’s three bedrooms has been converted into a study, with generous – yet discrete – storage spaces for stowing less-used household items. The furnishings are all in oak, ably complemented by sleek metal, cream and jet-black detailing.

The next room is a decidedly child / teen-friendly bedroom, with space, again, a clear priority. Alongside a wardrobe spacious enough to house even the most affluent and fashion-conscious youngster’s fresh seasonal collections, there are flip-door and drawer configurations in a mix of timbers – teak, sustainably-sourced oak and walnut – that seem just perfect for any learner’s home library.

World map wallpaper completes the room’s educational feel, though one can’t help but wonder how many youngsters would give such low-tech learning aids a second glance in these digitally-dominated times. It’s perhaps the only misstep in this otherwise exquisitely executed home design.

That, though, is more than redeemed by the pièce de résistance that is the master bedroom. Expertly designed to be the most tranquil of sanctuaries at the end of a testing work day, it boasts rich teak furnishings redolent with a welcoming warmth. Floating shelves then deliver ample surface space for any display of household mementos, adding just the right family-friendly tone that make this Mantin Heights house the most family-friendly of abodes.

Text: Robert Blain
Images: TREE

Vespa Cucine launches all-new showroom in the heart of Causeway Bay

Specialists from Vespa Cucine, Hong Kong’s premier kitchen interiors brand, have over 20 years of experience in designing bespoke kitchen solutions that offer their clients the perfect at-home culinary experience. Now, you can experience its wide array of luxury cabinets and tableware first-hand, thanks to the launch of an all-new showroom on Causeway Bay’s bustling Leighton Road.

Architect Alan Shek of KAST Associates, who designed the split-level venue, says of the space, “Vespa Cucine’s products are already art pieces, so my job was relatively easy. I just created a gallery to best showcase their beauty.” To that effect, a bright, airy, family-friendly kitchen space dominates the ground floor. The top level, meanwhile, features darker tones and sleek, lacquered surfaces that are sure to appeal to working professionals and couples.

Alongside its top-quality products, Vespa Cucine’s new showroom also offers intimate, personalized consultation services. “Every client has a unique vision for their perfect kitchen,” explains sales manager Wingo Mak, “it’s our job to help them transform that vision into reality.”

Visit Vespa Cucine now to give shape to your perfect kitchen.

Vespa Cucine Showroom, 103 Leighton Rd, Causeway Bay. 3188 0659. www.vespacucine.com

Hone Sweet Hone: A newly-refined residence that became Asia’s best apartment

High population density, limited landmass, a superfluity of the mega-affluent – there’s no shortage of reasons as to why Hong Kong real estate commands such an unreal valuation. Even with property prices tipped to rise by an additional 10 percent this year, buyers remain wholly undeterred, with the residential purchasing cycle seemingly set only to accelerate.

This newly-refined family home became Asia's best apartment — *This newly-refined family home was voted Asia’s best apartment in 2017*

Purchasing property and creating a family home, of course, represent very different challenges. While the former requires a mastery of certain legal and financial necessities (or the tactical deployment of someone who does), the latter requires you to give a part of yourself, as you set about transforming a developer’s shell into something perfectly tailored to your family’s values and expectations.

It was just such a challenge that faced a young mainland family of four as they sought to reinvent their 2,300sq.ft space in Tsim Sha Tsui’s high-end Grand Austin development. While their newly-completed apartment came with all the expected fixtures and fittings, it lacked any of the individual touches that would mark it out as a true family home. That’s when they decided to call on the services of a professional – a professional who so successfully re-fashioned their home that it was declared the Best Apartment in the 2017 Asia-Pacific Property Awards.

Their chosen professional was Johnny Leung, Creative Director of Chinc’s Workshop, a Sheung Wan-based, award-winning interior design consultancy. Recalling the initial brief for the family home, Leung says: “The family was very clear as to what they wanted – a practical, contemporary home, with strong visual appeal and a clear bespoke functionality in each of its separate spaces.”

The design team settled on the circle as a theme that would provide a sense of unity across the whole space – a universal symbol of completeness and an icon that’s synonymous with perfection for many mainlanders. They then looked to incorporate it across the home in a series of knowing and simpatico variations – linked, multiple circles in the shared spaces, rounded cornering throughout and, where possible, the creation of curved enclaves. The circle motif was also embedded into the lighting installations, the carpeting and the occasional tables.

One of the first casualties of the circle-centred makeover was a long, straight corridor that led off from the dining area. Clearly out of keeping with the overall redoubtably round look, it was swiftly demolished, granting the kitchen area a curvaceous, open and welcoming appeal.

The bedrooms, too, were areas where Chinc’s set out to make its mark. Its most drastic move was to combine two of the rooms into an outsized master bedroom, one with abundant natural light, a commodious walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite bathroom. The focus on optimising the level of natural light in the bedroom space is another hallmark of Chinc’s approach.

Explaining this particular element of the company’s design philosophy, Leung said: “No apartment, no matter how beautifully decorated, can look its best if the lighting is not right. By removing unnecessary walls and introducing pocket sliding doors and glass partitions, we subsequently maximised the use of natural sunlight. We also employed asymmetric ceiling light housings and opted to install down-lights in specific areas, all designed to create a dramatic look and feel as the night rolls in.”

While the tactical use of illumination has clearly boosted the home’s individuality, it is the sophisticated – yet playful – use of materials and upholstery that has gifted it the warmth this family home needed. Whether it’s the wallpaper that morphs under various light sources, the individually-curated collection of custom ceramic tiles or the singularly-shaped selection of somewhat avant garde lounge chairs, an endearingly quirky and individualistic style prevails throughout the whole apartment.

While winning a pan-Asian award for the quality of its interior design work is clearly all to the good for Chinc’s Workshop and its future new business prospects, the real winner here is clearly the family. Given the studied elegance of their abode, coupled with its innovative and thoughtful use of space, light and design, how could any family not thrive in so accommodating a locale?

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
Images: Chinc’s Workshop

Golden Touch: HK pad features metallic accents, bold carpets, cacti motifs

On its facade, Glory Heights – located on a quiet stretch of Lyttelton Road – seems typical of the residences in the surrounding Mid-Levels area. Towering 37 storeys high, the building’s earthy exterior is unadorned save for the familiar sight of repeating windows and air conditioners.

“When we first came to inspect the property, my husband couldn’t see the appeal at all. We felt it was quite dated,” says Shana Buchanan, the Australian founder of decor and design retailer iDecorate. Undeterred, Buchanan elected to make the first floor of Glory Heights her home, extensively refurbishing a 1,800sq.ft flat. Her approach has yielded a reinvigorated interior space: one that fuses contemporary design elements with the spirit of Antipodean living.

Given its proximity to ground level, Buchanan’s apartment features a wraparound terrace. Measuring 1,000sq.ft – positively palatial for space-starved Hong Kong – its curvature allows planters to be placed outside the majority of the home’s windows, evoking the feeling of an airy open-plan residence. A long-time Sydneysider, Buchanan wanted a relaxing sensory experience akin to the sunny city’s traditional house-and-yard landscapes.

“The ability to situate planters next to the windows, particularly adjacent to the master bedroom, makes you feel like you’re living in a freestanding home with its own backyard,” she says.

More greenery flanks the terrace’s central balcony, doubling as invaluable shade for up to 50 guests who can relax on a range of custom-made outdoor furniture.

Natural light comes flooding through the panelled glass doors that connect the terrace and dining room – the latter space designed with informal hospitality in mind. An interest in restaurant interiors inspired Buchanan to incorporate the joys of communal dining into her home.

“Whenever my husband and I go out for dinner, we fight for seating at benches or banquettes. Because they accommodate a variety of resting postures they’re more comfortable, and for couples or close friends, they generate an air of intimacy.”

Buchanan’s ode to the banquette takes the form of custom-made seating, upholstered over a brass base that references gold accents featured in five surrounding dining chairs. These pieces – inspired by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen’s designs – embody a process whereby mid-century furnishings are modernised using industrial materials.

Interior designers often combine metallic materials and vibrant colours in order to achieve spatial contrast. To this, Buchanan adds the element of scale. The living room configuration is familiar, freshened by the interplay between contrast and scale – a reflective silver television cabinet here, an oversized rug in powder blue there and small humanising details (like the Graydon Carterpenned Tom Ford compendium) everywhere.

“These rectangular floor plans are a little bit awkward,” says Buchanan. “I’ve almost compartmentalised the room by putting the large sofa and steel cabinet in one corner.”

An interesting by-product of this relational placement is the subtle gridding of the living room, with areas adjoining vestibules assuming their own identity. Buchanan has taken particular care to personalise the intersection between the dining and living rooms, creating a passageway with rich visual appeal. Lacquered stools, modernist and concave, are centred around an elevated side table – the latter echoing chinoiserie decorations popular in the 19th century.

“I wanted to shy away from copying specific design schools. I’m more interested in seeing how historical visuals fuse with contemporary shapes,” says Buchanan.

A corridor intersecting the living room adjoins the rest of the property, including the master bedroom and home office. Due to iDecorate’s substantial online business, Buchanan often works from home, refreshing her digital output with more tactile inspirations.

“Though much of my business is digital and we’re in the middle of the Instagram era, it’s difficult to be inspired – particularly in home interiors – by merely looking online.” To this end, a latticework mood board and monochrome photography are affixed to the walls for some added creative stimuli.

Buchanan’s home is an adroit reflection of personalised style. Though full of educated design cues, the space remains an exercise in clear self-expression: balancing multi-disciplinary creative influences from fashion to architecture. How did she do it? “Honestly?” she says. “Buy pieces that you love and just go for it.”

Text: Randalph Lai
Images: Gigi Ip, Isaac Yu

Interior design guru Eric Fung on his career, inspirations and his own home

Eric Fung, Chief Design Director of EF Design Limited, reveals how he tackles the quintessentially Hong Kong problem of home designing in limited spaces, as well as balancing his personal artistic vision with client preferences.

Sitting in the living room of his picturesque Marinella residence, the interior design guru also chats with Gafencu about the inspirations behind its layout, with a special focus on his daughters’ room and his treasured Memories Wall.

Alan Chan and Denise Lau on their new partnership to promote artistic living

Celebrated designer and artist Alan Chan recently collaborated with luxury furniture store colourliving in a bid to transform living spaces into objet d’art. The partnership will also yield some bespoke new services including personalised gift shopping, wedding registry and interior styling.

We caught up with Alan and colourliving’s CEO, Denise Lau to find out how they met, why they click their vision for the future.

What makes your partnership so successful?

Denise: We share a mutual vision on art and culture and how they affect lifestyles. For colourliving, we always wanted to curate a luxury lifestyle for customers. Luxury doesn’t have to be expensive. Luxury is an attribute of any object that you treasure or value, and something that makes you happy. The germ of this partnership with Alan was sown over a dinner conversation where we discussed our aspirations and found out we have a lot in common. It’s a blessing for us to be partnering with Alan.

Alan: I am not a businessperson. I believe, in order to be creative, you should distance yourself from a business perspective. So I am happy to rely on Denise to look at the business side of things, as she has a very sound judgment on these matters, while I am an emotional artist. It has been a very harmonious relationship so far, with clearly defined roles.

You are launching several bespoke services as well. Why?

Denise: For us, home is where our heart is. Space filled with a lot of nice furniture is not necessarily a complete space. There also has to be a personal touch, be it flowers, painting or any object that you cherish. This not only applies to homes, but also to corporate offices, hotels, showrooms, etc. We believe there is a lot of room for creativity for dressing up and beautifying any space.

Alan: Based on our experiences, we would like to advise collectibles for our customers that will enhance their living space. We want to help our customers create unique, personalised space, and to curate bespoke houses. It’s a completely new concept in Hong Kong in the retail furniture sector.

Do you have any design tips for our guests?

Denise: Ideas come to you when you are relaxed. Ideas come to you when you travel more. So take a step back, soak in the ambience in which you are and beautiful, unique ideas will come to you about how to make your living space a memorable one.

Thank you.

Interview: Tenzing Thondup