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South China Morning Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Subtle elegance in the heart of Hong Kong's Repulse Bay
Tucked into a high-rise building in the heart of scenic Repulse Bay, a 2,060 sq ft flat revamped by Hong Kong design firm Studiossoo offers a tactile study in restraint and refinement. Moody and masculine, the one-bedroom flat affords space for the client's many passions, including music and entertaining. Advertisement 'We gave the client a very clean and blank canvas because we know that they like to collect [furniture],' says Studiossoo founder and creative director Samantha Soo. Soo's client, who works in real estate, had been in the flat for about a decade before deciding it was time for a change. He requested that Soo 'redo everything' for him and his partner and introduce a more muscular look. Living area. Photo: Common Studio The challenge was to create a backdrop that would enhance, not overpower, her client's collection of furniture by European brands such as Hermès, Giorgetti and Mathieu Lustrerie. 'If we created a background for them that had so much detail, it would take the eye away from the furniture, such as the chandelier, which should be the focal point,' says Soo. 'But a blank canvas does not mean it's easily designed.' To enhance the aesthetic, Soo introduced metals (bush-hammered copper and brushed bronze) and contrasted dark tones (black and metallic grey) with beige accents (terrazzo-like Ceppo Monet marble and travertine stone). Dining area. Photo: Common Studio According to Soo, using a mixture of raw-looking materials and glossy touches sets the tone for a layered space where luxury is expressed through subtlety, not spectacle. 'For example, the client likes marble, but not too much of it,' says Soo. 'We used matte finishes so that everything appears very subtle, yet elegant.'
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
How to turn a Hong Kong flat into a Japanese-inspired sanctuary
Who hasn't gone on holiday to a place so beguiling they toyed with the idea of moving there? Advertisement One Hong Kong-based Malaysian family felt that way about the soothing, otherworldly bamboo forests of Kyoto, Japan But since it wasn't practical for Daniel Tan, a stay-at-home dad, and See See Ooi, who works in finance, and their adult children Jieh Jia 'JJ' Tan and Shuen Shuen Tan, to uproot and relocate, a solution was to bring the forests to them – at least, in spirit. A new 1,200 sq ft four-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in Lohas Park, in the New Territories, would provide the starting point; boutique design studio Canter & Gallop Design (CGD) the impetus. 'When we travel to Japan, we find it very serene, peaceful and connected to nature – it's almost healing for us to spend time together there,' says JJ, a designer. 'Hong Kong is known for using bamboo scaffolding, so there's a bit of storytelling, too. It's nice to reference these two things in our home.' The living and dining area. Photo: Common Studio Jonathan Ng and Rafael Pardo, co-founders – along with David Kung – of CGD, based their concept on mindfulness and simplicity.
