A renovated Park Island Apartment

Many expats (and locals too I should add) move to Park Island, but then want to renovate their apartments to suit their tastes.

Expats typically want to go for a more modern, smart, simple,clean elegant look, whereas traditional Chinese often want to put in more cupboards, built-in storage, built in bed-bunks, false ceilings, etc. (Yes, obviously a generalization, and note I am not saying one style is better than the other, although personally I prefer the ex-pat style.

Today I am going to post up some great renovation pictures of the ex-pat"style I mentioned above, taken from project done by in interior design firm called Primo Casa Interiors Ltd http://www.primocasa.com/ who do high-end and stylish designs in Hong Kong.

From the photos, it seems the apartment is a 2brm apartment, perhaps around 700 sqft, which for Hong Kong is the size of apartment that often houses 2 parents, one or two children, a grandparent and a maid. In the present case, it looks designed for a couple and a young child.



Park Island renovated living room

Here you can see a modernized living. Note the design which it intended to be functional, yet provide maximum space and comfort. A sofa designed to maximize open views, a minimal amount of clutter, airconditioning that has been hidden into a false beam (which also contains lighting), and a spacious table, again placed so as to maximize the space in the living room.

Park Island renovated bedroom

Here you can see what appears to be a infant's room. Bright, again with an open view to let in natural light, with as much space as the room allows between a crib and a cabinet, no doubt full of baby clothes, nappies, towels etc. There is also, I think probably a floor to roof wardrobe. I am not sure what is under the crib, but one could design it so that there are a few pull out shelves under it, to store bedding etc.



Renovated Park Island master bedroom

As is the case for the rest of the apartment, this bedroom looks modern, and comfortable. You can see that the owners have not sacrificed any bed space and gone for what looks like a larger bed. Again, note the very open views. Clearly it would be very relaxing sleeping here, whether in the evening, looking out into the dark, or for daytime nap, with some sun coming in. One thing I noticed, that I might consider changing is that the cabinet under the flat screen TV comes right up to the bed. I would likely have removed that cabinet and just kept empty space there, but like anything, and especially when it comes to designing apartment in Hong Kong with very limited space to work with, you will realize that its really all about compromises and deciding what you ultimately want in terms of what suits your personal preferences and needs.

Renovated Park Island kitchen

I like the look of this kitchen. You can see its clean, modern, maximizes space, striking a good balance between function and appearance. They have also managed to fit a washer/dryer into the kitchen (which is nice as in most Kong Hong apartments this size there is either no room for one, or its placed somewhere awkward. I am not sure if it was done here, but what I would usually suggest for an expat's kitchen is to make the benchtop around 8-12 cm higher then what is usually done in Hong Kong for local Chinese, as expats are typically taller (the same applies to bathroom bench tops for expats by the way). It seems like they also have a gas flame cooker (which I like) but again, its a matter of taste and some people like electric. Another example of the "compromise" one needs to make in a typical Hong Kong kitchen, is whether to go for a full-size over (eg under where the cooker is) or instead to use that area for storage space. One possible half/half solution is to have a separate space for a mini oven/microwave, which it seems there is in the top right of the picture.



Renovated Park Island bathroom

Finally here you can see the bathroom. Good use of mirrors, both practical, as well as creating a feeling of open space. Some people would put some small storage space for make up and cosmetics etc behind the mirror. I like the hidden strip lighting that is behind the mirror. Hand basin is large, simple, and serves as a good example of functional simplicity in interior design. Also, (and don't laugh), good placement of the toilet roll holder (an issue most people, other then designers, often do not really give much consideration to!).

 

You can see more pictures on the designer's website. If you go to www.primocasa.com, from there click on "projects" at the top and then click on "residential" from there you can see a scrolling bar with the different projects the guys have done. In the middle you will see an icon called "Park Island" with a few pictures of the flat.