Studio apartment: solution to space-starved Hong Kong flats

There is a Chinese saying that goes: “Even though a sparrow is small, but all its vital organs are present”. In design terms, a sparrow is a well-designed studio flat, which is functional and trendy, and meeting all the needs of its owner despite its small size.

To achieve this, there are three considerations—openness, flexibility and a minimalist design.

Knocking down all the walls might be a risky move to take, but with the right ideas and design, you can turn your apartment into a cosy and sleek pad.

Timeless elegance: white kitchen ideas that stand the test of time

Ideas for a white kitchen with a twist

Contemporary or classic: white kitchen ideas that match your personality

Many people might associate having a white colour scheme for your living space with being plain or boring, but with the right design, the subtle colour can turn your home into an open, minimalist and trendy space.

One of the best places to use a white colour scheme is your kitchen. In the words of award-winning designer Mick de Giulio: “White has stood the test of time because it’s clean and fresh.” He further explained: “And those two words — clean and fresh — are classic words for describing a great kitchen. There isn’t a better way to approach design.”

For many, the kitchen is the life of the home, where a family gathers to eat and share about their day. As such, it is important to have a kitchen that is bright and lively.

As the brightest colour, white reflects light, making even the smallest of kitchens seems spacious.

More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/beverly-villa-2-south-hk-island/



Besides the huge windows that bring abundant natural light and fresh air into this apartment, the ceiling skylight design creates an illusionary extension of the natural lighting, offering an inviting space with positive vibes for casual chatting with friends and family.

The skylight also serves as a centrepiece directly above the island, which is complemented by bar stools and bookshelves at the side, reflecting the warmth and cosiness of a home where owners can enjoy reading while having a cup of coffee.


More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/grand-panorama/

Another way to make your kitchen brighter and livelier is with a semi-open kitchen like this one. Here, not only does natural light enter through the window, it also comes in from the living room via the opening between hanging cabinets and the island, making the kitchen more lively and spacious.

At the same time, the hanging cabinets ensure a certain degree of privacy for the user of the kitchen, while providing storage for kitchen tools, ingredients and utensils.

More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/royalton-south-hk-island/

If you are worried about smoke from cooking entering the living room, considering having a semi-open kitchen like this one, which has movable glass panels, which help trap smoke within the kitchen.

By using a transparent sliding glass door, the gorgeous mountain view of the dining room is still visible when cooking or preparing food in the kitchen. The trees and plants evoke a restful, soothing and cheerful ambience.

Another plus point about white kitchens is that they go well with a minimalist design. But minimalism doesn’t mean boring.


More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/robinson-place/

If you like stainless steel appliances, a white kitchen is perfect for showcasing these kitchen tools, such as in the exhaust hood, sink accessories and pot in this kitchen. The tap is from Galaxy Bathroom.

By having a simple white colour scheme, you can play up the accents and details such as the black knobs and details on the cabinets in this kitchen. The countertop and units are designed by Clifton Leung Design Workshop.

If black, white and grey seem a bit boring to you, bring in colourful accessories, such as a plant in the kitchen above, or pots or even fruits in the kitchen below.


http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/ventris-place-wanchai/

If you like flowers, you can even consider placing an Ikebana floral arrangement in your white kitchen, which adds and arty touch to your kitchen.


More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/grand-panorama/

With a simple white colour scheme, you can bring in sharper details such as the cluster of copper lamps in this kitchen, which act character to your white kitchen.


More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/tregunter-tower/

Play with lighting for your white kitchen. In the following kitchens, indirect lighting creates layers, which make your kitchen chic, while not being too fanciful. It also creates a warm atmosphere, for the family to spend precious time together cooking or eating.

More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/new-central-mansion/

More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/coastline-villa-discovery-bay/


More photos on this project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/cherry-crest-mid-levels/

Aero trolley: space saver for Hong Kong homes

Upgrade your space-starved home with an aero trolley

Bring travel into your home with a meal cart-inspired storage solution

Lack of space is common in Hong Kong, so we have to be smart in picking furniture. An aero trolley is the perfect solution. Not only is it compact, with four wheels, it’s also mobile and versatile.

According to the space saver’s designer, Clifton, the aero trolley is inspired by his passion for traveling. A jetsetter, Clifton was flying when he noted how space-saving and functional meal carts were in the airplane galley. The travel addict then found ways to adapt these meal carts to homes.

Like meal carts, Clifton’s aero trolleys can also customized to feature a cooling system. But they are not just for the kitchen. For example, they can also be used for serving snacks during movie time. The trolleys’ functionality—being compact and coming with many compartments—and chic design also make them suitable for all around the house. Let’s take a look at how to incorporate them into different rooms.

The aero trolley is particularly suitable for a kitchen with limited space. Remove clutter and open up your kitchen by hiding away kitchenware and snacks in the meal cart.

Minimalism - Less is More

As many Hong Kong apartments are small in size, interior designers nowadays often strive to maximize usable space when designing clients’ homes. Recently, Clifton has designed the interior of a flat in a Sheung Wan project for a foreign couple. In hope to create a spacious home environment for the couple, Clifton uses a few tricks in keeping the design minimal and simple.

By using smaller size furniture and light colors like beige and white from sofa to walls and floors, the interior space looks tidy and neat. Moreover, he transforms the kitchen to a semi-open cooking space which makes the living areas more integrated and spacious. Besides keeping the décor simple, Clifton also succeeds in creating more storage space by installing wall cabinets and raised platform under the bed. The couple is pleased with the final result as the interior space is redesigned to promote simplicity as well as functionality.

Project reference: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/cherry-crest-mid-levels/

Metropolitan Pad- with Panoramic Harbour View

For this apartment at The Habourside, Hong Kong, the owner is a frequent traveler who often visits hotels across the globe. Clifton decides to apply the modern metropolitan pad concept to his design to create an ambience of a seven-star hotel.

As the apartment has an outstanding habour view, a metropolitan pad that is entirely partitioned by a huge transparent glass with minimal borders can capture the panoramic view from all angles. Moreover, the feature stone wall is kept as the only structured wall that divide the bathroom with the bedroom within the entire apartment. This open- design concept connects various living areas and creates a huge spacious home environment that owner enjoy living in. The huge open space can also host a wide range of home entertaining activities as various appliances including Bang & Olufsen audio products and wine cellar from Liebherr are well equipped.

The owner also prefers a modern yet simple style which Clifton exploited by the use of colors of black, white and grey in the interior. The soft leather sofa with the grey marble flooring and light oak wood cabinet create a cozy and pleasant feeling to the modern style. In contrast with the wood finishing and marble flooring, the use of diverse lighting sources such as recessed RGB lighting underneath the cabinets also give off a charismatic and modern feeling to the décor.

The interior also showcases top notch appliances and premium materials, such as kitchen appliances from Miele, Subzero and Fisher & Paykel, sound system from B&O, tailo-made carpets from Tai Ping, feature lighting from Flos, sanitary appliances from TITI, Gessi and Dornbracht.

Related project: http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/the-harbour-side-kowloon/

New trend in design: Dust-free redesign

As residential properties in Hong Kong remain small yet high in prices, trends in interior design also turn towards remaking homes without knocking down any walls. Clifton Leung, creative director and founder of Clifton Leung Design Workshop has discussed this recent trend of dust-free redesign and how people prefer to redesign their homes without wasting new materials and moving walls.

However, sometimes it is not easy to redesign old buildings without knocking down walls. One reason is the space layouts of the older buildings are not as functional as the newer buildings. In order to redesign them in the purpose of matching with our ways of living, interior designers nowadays try to redecorate those spaces with the least costs for their clients.

Construction-free design also encourages more creativity and individuality in the design itself. Clifton noted that those designs are not about re-designing a space anymore. It is about how to decorate the interior in ways that could increase spaces and make a living space suitable to the clients. Create designs that could fit the clients’ styles of living is essential. For example, clever use of different colors on walls as well as lighting could enhance characterization in design as well as living space. Clifton noted that instead of wallpapering the entire room, the use of feature walls could be a nice choice. Also, the use of Philips’ color-changing, mood altering Hue in replace of a single light source for a room could create a different mood and style to the interior space.

In recent years, Clifton has given construction-less design treatment to various projects. In one project for a small flat, he exploited the simple yet detailed Zen style concept as he used a raised floor to increase more bedroom space. From concept to completion of construction, one project only takes few months. It is time saving as well as cost saving to the clients.


Related project:
http://www.cliftonleungdesignworkshop.com/project-residential/aria-kowloon/

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Houzz Tour: Airplane Efficiency for a Minimalist Hong Kong Flat

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