Indholdsfortegnelse for Home Journal 2025 i Home Journal

Hong Kong’s top design talent gathered on Monday, 27 October at SHOWCASE in Wong Chuk Hang for the annual Home Journal Awards. The event saw nearly 200 guests keeping with the “Bold and Brilliant” dress code, staying true to the awards’ founding vision of bringing the design community together. This year’s ceremony honoured winners in two main categories: The Best Designer Awards and The Best Brand Awards. An impressive line-up of industry experts served as judges, including Patrik Schumacher, principal at Zaha Hadid Architects; Richard Wood, managing director of Asia, Snøhetta; Peter Tay, founder of Peter Tay Studio; Betty Ng, founder of COLLECTIVE; T.K. Chu, founder of T.K. Chu Design; Chang Ching-ping, founder of Tien Fun Design; Anon Pairot, founder of Anon Pairot Studio; Pongthep Sagulku, founder of August Design…

Sometimes the most comfortable homes aren’t planned – they simply grow with you. André Fu’s weekend escape in the New Territories is a case in point. Tucked away in the quiet hills of Hong Kong’s New Territories, this three storey weekend retreat he designed for himself has evolved, little by little, into a space that mirrors how he lives, thinks and pauses. “In a lot of my projects, I think the design was carefully considered right at the beginning. Whereas with this house, it was more an organic process,” Fu says. The three level home is distinctly structured. The ground floor houses the living and dining areas, the second is designed for leisure and entertainment, while the third accommodates private bedrooms. Above, a rooftop lounge offers a breezy space to pause,…

“This subtle grandeur invites a sense of calm exclusivity” Luxury lies in the details. In this Repulse Bay apartment, a discerning couple chose subtle sophistication over flashy displays, and the magic is all in the meticulously crafted details – down to the smallest cabinet knob. The couple’s brief was specific: convert their three-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom home with a dedicated music room and an elegant walk-in closet. Samantha Soo, founder of Studiossoo, approached the challenge by studying how they actually lived in the space. “We prioritise understanding how clients interact with and navigate their environment before beginning the design process,” she explains. Spanning 2,000 square feet, the apartment strikes an elegant balance between masculine and feminine sensibilities while revealing the owner’s sophisticated material palette. Upon entering, visitors are greeted…

Monochrome scheme doesn’t have to be boring, and this 700-square-foot apartment in Taikoo Shing by Pexel Interior Design is a case in point. A monochrome scheme doesn’t have to be boring, and this 700-square-foot apartment in Taikoo Shing, by Pexel Interior Design, is a case in point. The homeowners, a family of five, wanted darker tones, but were worried about making the space feel cramped. Designers Perry Wong and Elvis Lam solved this by using different textures and smart lighting instead of bright colours. The family also needed lots of storage, so Wong completely changed the layout, removing walls and reorganising the entire space. “We kept things simple, but not plain,” Wong says. “We used different shades of grey as our base, then added texture through materials. The floors are…

An Eastern Concept Housed in the iconic The Henderson, the Akira Back restaurant by AB Concept pays subtle tribute to both the tower and the chef’s Japanese cuisine. From parametric ceilings to petal-shaped chairs, curvaceous silhouettes echo the tower’s Bauhinia blakeana inspiration. On the walls, indigo blue accents and spoon-carved textures reflect the restaurant’s Japanese cuisine. The result is as dramatic as it is subtle. “The ceiling to us is like a second layer of the façade,” said AB Concept’s associate Rex Wang. “The main challenge was the private dining room. There’s an immovable MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) system that needed to be concealed, so we came up with a bubble-shaped ceiling to gradually lift the height from 2.2 to 3.5 metres.” AKIRABACKHK.COM CAVE-INSPIRED DESIGN The old Tasmania Ballroom…

Perched atop the newly opened Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong, the Swim Club, by Steve Leung Design Group (SLD), is making waves as the city’s most coveted social destination. With unobstructed Victoria Harbour views stretching endlessly before you, this hotel bar is a carefully crafted escape that’s redefining what it means to socialise in the sky. For Nicholas Leung, chief operating officer at SLD, this project represented something special, a rare creative experiment with unprecedented freedom. “We’re thrilled to work with clients who truly trusted us,” he explains. “They gave our design team the latitude to push boundaries and really express our vision without constraints.” That vision, crafted by Heidi Chan, Design Director at SLD, draws from backyard parties in the Hollywood Hills and Southern California’s pool clubs. The…

It is a rare opportunity for an architect to re-build his childhood home: a fortunate commission that allowed French-Canadian Mathieu Lemieux-Blanchard to revisit a site on the Saint Lawrence River. Alongside Veronica Lemieux-Blanchard, the founders of Atelier Echelle were responsible for a 4,000 sq.ft. house and 950 sq.ft. pavilion. The latter stands upon the foundations of a 1980s prefabricated structure that Mathieu knew intimately. “My father helped build the original house with my grandfather,” remembers Mathieu. Lots in that part of Québec stretch for a kilometer, offering plenty of room for additional properties. “As part of the deal, dad got to build a 10x10-ft. shack deeper in the forest. My family spent every summer there when I was growing up. Neither home was winterised: there was no running water or electricity,…

There are few places on Earth that live up to one’s imagination – Bhutan does. This Himalayan country unfolds exactly as you might picture it: monasteries perched high above clouds, whitewashed dzongs built into cliff sides, and rows of prayer flags moving in mountain winds. For architects and dreamers, Bhutan feels like a revelation. Buildings here do not dominate the landscape, but sit in perfect harmony with it. Such visual balance is no happy coincidence, but a thoughtful effort to maintain cultural identity through architecture, tradition, and conversation. Land of the Thunder Dragon Wedged between China and India in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is a land of peaks soaring beyond 7,000 metres with deep valleys threaded with rivers. Its terrain shapes every part of life – especially how people build.…

On 10 June 2025, design elites, top brands, and tastemakers gathered at SHOWCASE Gallery to toast four and a half decades of Hong Kong’s definitive voice in design. Since 1980, Home Journal has been documenting how we live, and inspiring readers across the city – and beyond – to reimagine the art of living. For 45 years, we’ve chronicled the evolution of interior design by exploring how spaces shape lives, and how creativity transforms the everyday into something extraordinary. The anniversary exhibition – “Home is Where the Art Is” – brought together everything we believe about meaningful design. At its heart were two ideas: the irreplaceable power of the human touch in creation, and the enduring value of furniture crafted with genuine care and craftsmanship. “The entire concept for this…

This 2,000-square-foot office in Sheung Wan belongs to a family-run dried seafood and Chinese medicine business that’s been around since 1968. It’s home to two generations with completely different ideas about what makes a good workspace. For Anya Wu, Design Director at Root Design HK Ltd, the challenge was making both visions work in the same space without compromise. Instead of splitting the difference, she took what was already there and pushed it forward. The original terrazzo floors stayed, but with patterns blown up to something bolder and more graphic. Wood remains the backbone, but with updated veneers and tones that feel fresh rather than fusty. Natural light and sustainable materials run throughout, creating a workspace that honours its roots without feeling stuck in the past. “The old office had…

Most families want to spend more time together. Few want to be trapped in the same room. In a Tai Koo apartment, Liquid Interiors worked out how to bring a family closer together without boxing them in. “Before, the family would come home and then go into individual rooms that were all disconnected. The living area was the least utilised space in the house,” says Rowena Gonzales, founder of Liquid Interiors. Dubbed Lotus Mansion, the 1,121-square-foot apartment fixes this through glass walls, movable partitions, and furniture designed for proximity without pressure. The brief was straightforward. A family of three – and their furry friends – wanted a “traditional modern farmhouse style that would bring the family closer together and feel more connected”. The father works from home. The mother tutors their…

In London’s historic Old War Office in Whitehall, now reborn as The OWO Residences by Raffles, interior design studio Angel O’Donnell has crafted a 2,953-square-foot masterpiece for Florida-based entrepreneurs and collectors Trevor and Gary Burgess and their daughter, Logan. For the Burgess family, whose homes span continents, this London residence needed to reflect both their passion for art and their love of design. They found kindred spirits in designers Richard Angel and Ed O’Donnell, renowned for creating interiors that balance architectural precision with emotional resonance. “What’s really made this project special is the relationship we’ve fostered with Trevor and Gary. Their pursuit of excellence and their rich appreciation of artistry and craftsmanship made the whole process fantastically rewarding.” The Grade II-listed home unfolds as a journey through elegance and emotion. The…

M&P Interior design has transformed this 1,300-square-foot apartment at Kai Tak’s The Knightsbridge into a sophisticated sanctuary for a discerning businessman who appreciates the finer things in life. The design centres entirely around the client’s lifestyle and passions. “The homeowner is a successful professional with impeccable taste who happens to be a wine enthusiast,” explains Sam Tsang from M&P Interior Design. “We created a custom wine cabinet and display area where he can properly showcase his collection and entertain friends.” This bespoke storage solution has a double duty – it satisfies his hobby while becoming a striking focal point in the living and dining area, seamlessly weaving a wine culture into everyday living. With spectacular harbour views outside the windows, the design team embraced a light luxury Nordic aesthetic to complement…

I’m on my balcony at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, watching people picnicking in the Kokyo Gaien, when I realise why Tokyo has topped the list for travellers around the world. It’s a city that respects its history while embracing everything new. This DNA is well reflected at the Palace Hotel Tokyo – a true heritage hotel with a serious pedigree dating back to 1961, yet after its complete renovation, it feels as fresh and contemporary as any new opening. The hotel, reopened in 2012 (also rebranded from the Palace Hotel to the Palace Hotel Tokyo) after a three-year renovation, occupies what may be Tokyo’s most coveted piece of real estate – directly across from the ancient Ōte-mon Gate of Edo Castle. The renovation saw the original 1961 hotel completely gutted…