LIFE/STYLE
Hong Kong interior designers and design rms bring a wealth of experience and a wide variety of aesthetic sensibilities to suit all tastes. Here’s our pick
Get to know the seven leading interior designers in Hong Kong
You can buy the perfect urban penthouse or three-storey villa by the beach, but until you nd the right interior designer to properly out t your abode, it’s never going to feel like the home of your dreams. Fortunately, Hong Kong has no shortage of independent designers and rms who can turn your space into something spectacular, whether you’re looking to furnish a new property or give your current residence a much-needed contemporary refresh.
We’ve surveyed the landscape to hand pick seven interior designers and design rms that deserve to be on your radar. The impressive portfolios and wide range of creative talents mean there’s an option for every type of homeowner on this list.
GRANDE DESIGN
Bright, clean and contemporary are the rst words that come to mind when surveying the work of multi-awardwinning rm Grande Design, whose services encompass o ces, retail spaces, visual merchandising and, most notably, private homes. With a focus on maximising space e ciency, increasing storage and creating customised furniture, this design juggernaut’s expansive portfolio includes residences in just about every corner of Hong Kong, from Park Island to Sha Tin. Recent highlights from Grande Design’s work include a multi-level high-rise apartment with a sky garden in Fo Tan and an apartment lled with plants and pops of colour at the Mount Pavilia development in Clearwater Bay. grandehome.com.hk
HOO
After 11 years working in the advertising industry, Hong Kong-raised YC Chen established his interior design company, hoo, in 2009. As creative director, he operates with the goal of creating oneof-a-kind haute couture homes for clients, adhering to a guiding principle that each person is unique and therefore each home should be equally original. Accordingly, no two hoo projects look the same, with a focus on even the smallest details to de ne each project’s character. Among recent projects, a 2,600-square-foot at in Jardine’s Lookout designed for a stylish grandmother stands out with its Frenchstyle cupboard doors inlaid with mirrors. hoo-residence.com
ATELIER LANE
After founding interior design rm Atelier Lane in Sydney in 2009, CEO and creative director Ellie Bradley spent two years in Singapore before relocating to Hong Kong in 2018. Since then, she’s been hired to oversee residential projects on Old Peak Road as well as in Jardine’s Lookout and Repulse Bay, where she’s consistently shown an a nity for neutral tones and natural light, creating calming, airy spaces that feel restrained and, ultimately, relaxing. Of particular note is her bold use of bathroom tiling, which wouldn’t look out of place in a hip boutique hotel in London. atelierlane.com
BEAN BURO
Lorène Faure and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui met in Paris and worked together in London before creating the design studio Bean Buro in Hong Kong in 2013. Given their multicultural backgrounds – Faure is French, Kinugasa-Tsui is half-Chinese, half-Japanese – the notion of cultural exchange is a hallmark of their work. Although their aesthetic leans in a minimalistic direction, the designers aren’t afraid to employ sculptural centrepieces or curving walls for dramatic eect. Highlights from Bean Buro’s residential portfolio include the refurbishment of a 2,500-square-foot apartment at Piccadilly Mansion in Mid-Levels and a 1,200-square-foot apartment overlooking the racecourse in Happy Valley, dubbed “Urban Cocoon” for its calming nature. beanburo.com
AB CONCEPT
Founded in 1999 by the designer/architect duo of Ed Ng and Terrance Ngan, AB Concept has spent two decades building an ever-expanding global portfolio of luxury design projects for residential and commercial properties, not to mention the worlds of hospitality, wellness and F&B. In Hong Kong, you’ll have seen their work
at Central’s New World Tower, the new Victoria Dockside and The Chinese Library at Tai Kwun. On the residential front they’ve designed three-level penthouses dripping with understated luxury in both Kau To Shan and Ho Man Tin Hill, as well as a glittering private home in Repulse Bay. abconcept.net
AFSO
The name André Fu will be familiar to fans of high-end hotels in Asia: he’s the man responsible for the much-praised interiors at The Upper House, the St. Regis and the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong, as well as the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. Although he and his rm, AFSO, are strongly associated with the hospitality industry, their portfolio also includes art, retail and restaurant projects. Residentially, Fu and his team have brought contemporary elegance to a luxury condo in the Jean Nouvel-designed 52 West 53 tower in Manhattan, as well as 237 serviced residences at K11 Artus in Tsim Sha Shui. afso.net
NCDA
Raised in Hong Kong and Canada, awardwinning interior designer Nelson Chow studied men’s tailoring and worked for internationally renowned design rm AvroKO in New York before establishing NCDA in 2011. It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that his aesthetic gravitates towards the masculine, though he’s not afraid of whimsical ourishes. NCDA’s best-known work has been the interiors at bars and restaurants such as Foxglove, PDT, Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour and Mak Mak, but the rm also garnered acclaim for its Treehouse project, which employed a split-level design to cleverly maximise the 370-square-foot area of an apartment in Ho Man Tin. ncda.biz