See How This Colorful Hong Kong Apartment Was Made to Feel Bigger Than it Actually Is

In Hong Kong's Happy Valley—where land is scarce and living spaces are usually pretty small—multi-disciplinary design practice Lim+Lu revived a three-bedroom apartment in an old residential building into a gleaming, visually-expanded abode.

With the aim of separating various functional zones while maintaining privacy, freeing up space, and making the apartment look bigger than its actual  size (1,206 square feet), Lim+Lu incorporated suspended glass and sliding doors made with black powder-coated stainless steel. These acting "walls" and "doors" created  adaptable boundaries to create a flexible layout that doesn't feel closed off. 

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These see-through boundaries also visually connect the bedroom, living, study, and kitchen, while giving the apartment the appearance of transparency and lightness.

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In the past, old Hong Kong apartments have often included dark, long, and narrow corridors and bedrooms with concrete walls that can make the space feel heavy and claustrophobic. So, the designers reconfigured the space while keeping the lifestyle of modern-day urbanites in mind.

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They removed and restructured the existing walls of the old rooms, which resulted in a loftier, more open interior. Continuous warm oak flooring connects the main living room and the bedroom, blurring the boundaries between public and private spaces within the apartment. 

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Adjacent to the main living area is a former bedroom that was converted into a multi-purpose space with suspended sliding doors. It can either be used as a living room extension, or enclosed as a bedroom for guests.

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Soft muted pink, deep blue and turquoise, ceramic tiles with striking patterns, black-and-white accents, and splashes of gold come together to create a contemporary Art Deco-inspired home that's both cosmopolitan and comfortable.

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Michele Koh Morollo
Dwell Contributor
Michele Koh Morollo is a journalist who has been writing about design, lifestyle and travel for the last twenty years.

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