Abundant Thresholds
Sea Cliff Mansions
Bean Buro was tasked with the design of a family apartment in Repulse Bay Southside of Hong Kong. The brief was to create a new home that enriches the quality time spent with family and friends, offering a subdued, warm and refined environment that allows for appreciation of its beautiful natural surroundings.
Bean Buro team: Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Lorène Faure, Lelia Ku, Jay Jordan
Client: Private
“I must tell you how impressed and happy we are. The ambience, spaciousness, harmony and space utilisation of the apartment all exceed our expectation. We are so much indebted to the hard work of your team.”
— Mr E & family
Perched on a lush green mountaintop, a context-rich with natural light and sweeping vistas, the notion of ‘abundance’ became a central narrative principle from which the design organically evolved. The new design would also further the healthy lifestyles of the family members.
The concept was to create various thresholds to blur the boundaries between the different spaces of the apartment. Large gestures of arched portals inserted at the divisions between the dining room, lounge, and reading room to create a layered effect, allowing the space to feel differentiated while letting the natural daylight to filter through the areas.
“The concept was to use a set of arched metal portals to create a sense of thresholds between different spaces, and to create a layered experience. They also frame the beautiful mountainous views of Southside Hong Kong.”
— Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founder of Bean Buro
The dining space serves as the main front of house space, with a bespoke dining table constructed in fluted timber and a warm-coloured stone top with metal edging. The backdrop is a horizontal display niche, with a set of tall meshed brass doors to conceal a drinks bar.
Beyond the dining space is the living room with a reading lounge, which has large partitions that opens up the generous balcony terrace, itself with frameless glass balustrades with unobstructed views to the mountains and ocean. Various walls are left as white gallery walls ready for the owner’s artworks to be hung.
“The children’s play space is called a ‘Bean House’ inspired by fairy tales. It is made entirely in timber, with wiggly curves, two sleeping platforms, peg holes, and lots of storage.”
— Lorène Faure, co-founder of Bean Buro
The idea is to create a ‘house in a house’. It is located inside a secondary lounge suite, with a set of full height sliding partitions in green colours can be opened up to reveal this ‘house’ made entirely made in timber. It contains two levels of bed space, underfloor storage, bookcase, wardrobes, workbench, and a peg wall system for hanging personalised objects. Corners are rounded with ‘Bean details’ and playful peeking holes.
The materials colour palette is predominantly high-quality timber, with muted green and blue hues, and white gallery walls for artwork. Various bespoke details are incorporated in the joinery design that accentuates a hospitality atmosphere for the front of house areas of this spacious apartment in Repulse Bay Hong Kong.
