A MAN’S WORLD
When two brothers approached YC Chen of Hoo to redesign their home, he delivered a bachelor pad with a difference室內設計公司Hoo的YC Chen為一對兄弟的家居獻上別樹一幟的單
身浪漫
Speaking of the 700-square-foot Happy Valley apartment he recently transformed into a chic yet masculine sanctuary, YC Chen, the founder and creative director of hoo, explains: “The overall style is a minimalistic industrial feel with a mid-century modern touch.” Characterised by pale grey walls with some gradation that deliver a raw, industrial feel, and with dark cabinets and floors marking a contrast, the flat features artistic black-and-white accessories and elements that complement the overall aesthetic, while the generous ambient light in the apartment ensures a fresh feeling throughout.
YC had his work cut out for him when he set about transforming the space from a threebedroom to a two-bedroom. The apartment is home to two brothers, so he wanted to create two similar-sized, well-appointed bedrooms to suit the inhabitants and to maximise the space. Removing unnecessary walls, he also extended lines of sight through the door placement in the newly created rooms to help the space feel larger.
There were stylistic changes as well as structural ones. “We wanted to keep everything very masculine,” recalls the designer. “We didn’t want to go with all-white walls because it would be boring, so we proposed using a cement and concrete wall paint all over to give a very consistent look. We also tried to keep the use of materials to a minimum, so you don’t see too many different ones throughout the apartment.”
談及近期將跑馬地700平方呎公寓改裝成為注滿陽剛氣息的潮流聖所時，hoo的創辦人兼創意總監YC Chen表示：「整體設計風格以極簡工業主義為主題，同時注入中世紀現代之作的魅力。」具有層次的灰白色牆壁對照深色的衣櫥和地板造成反差，為單位帶來迷人的黑白美感。家居中的黑白色配飾和元素均符合美學準則，而充足明亮的光線亦帶來清新感覺。
對YC來說，將一個三房單位打造成兩房單位是一項艱巨任務。他希望為這對兄弟設計出大小相若、設備齊全的睡房，藉此達成滿足屋主的需要和擴展空間的目標。除了拆卸多餘牆壁外，他亦透過重置房間的門口以獲取更遼闊的視覺空間。
居所亦可見與別不同的風格和結構性變動。「設計師希望家居所有物品都能保持男子氣概。」
The design expertly combines dark flooring and panelling without making the space appear overly dark. These features are particularly prominent in the living area. The theme continues in both bedrooms, but these rooms are made brighter with the addition of white cabinets.
The colour palette is consistently minimal throughout; nevertheless, it was a challenge to achieve. For one, the flooring and cabinet panels were designed to match, but were sourced from different factories and therefore difficult to coordinate in terms of tone – but the desired result was eventually achieved. “Sometimes when we do the design, different rooms have a different theme,” says YC. “But in this case, every space is the same. It’s very consistent because it’s a small space, so we keep the use of materials to a minimum to make it feel bigger and not so cluttered.”
While the colours and materials are kept simple and consistent, interest is added in the form of the designer mid-century modern furnishings and lighting pieces that the designer has gathered, and of which he is particularly proud. “You can see everything is well-matched, yet they were all sourced from different places,” he says. This Happy Valley residence is a modern example of making the most of a space in a sophisticated, masculine manner – and with it, YC has crafted the manpad of the moment. 他回想：「全白色牆壁容易令人有枯燥乏味的感覺，我們因而採用水泥和混凝土覆蓋牆壁保時一致風格。減少使用不同物料同時是我們的創作方向，因此公寓中的材料亦比較單一。」
上述設計巧妙運用深色的地板和牆身，卻不致幽閉昏暗。客廳中的深色主題非常突出，配色延伸至兩間睡房，而白色衣櫥則令房間更加光亮。
低調用色貫徹全屋，但這種做法並不如想像中容易。地板和衣櫥門板均刻意設計來互相配襯，但因來自不同的廠家，結果卻難以配搭出一致的色調。所幸的是，經過重重困難終有滿意效果。「設計家居時，每個房間都會配合不同設計風格。」YC說：「目前情況比較特別。由於空間較小，單位中每分每寸的一致性都非常重要。為擴大空間和撇除雜亂無章的感覺，減少使用不同類別的物料為最佳選擇。」
設計師收藏的中世紀現代傢具和燈飾為家居簡單而一致的顏色和物料帶來一絲玩味，他對自己的個人收藏亦深感驕傲。他說：「雖然各式各樣的傢具來自不同的地方，卻能夠完美結合。」這個由YC為屋主打造的跑馬地男士天地，正正是利用空間感呈現陽剛優雅態度的現代例子。//