Valley House
Fontana Gardens
Bean Buro has been appointed to refurbish an apartment in Jardine’s Lookout, Hong Kong. Located at the bottom of a hill, the apartment is surrounded by natural views of green trees and far sight of the city.
The brief is to house three generations under one roof. The previous existing apartment became tired and dated, and no longer suited the needs of the occupants: a mature couple and a younger couple, with a baby. The challenge is to create a home that builds on the social relationships and interactions of the residents, while still creating a high level of privacy and independence.
AwardsA’ Design Award 2018 - 'Iron' WinnerBean Buro team: Lorène Faure, Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Isabella Ducoli, Michelle Ho
Client: Private
Area size: 2,500 sqft (232 sqm)
Three generations under one roof
The private spaces are considered as ‘small studio apartments’ within the big apartment. A timber lined corridor differentiates the private quarters, with concealed doors to the private bedrooms suites. The master bedroom suite features a glass-enclosed bathroom complete with a double sink, shower and a custom-made Japanese tub, and a wooden staircase leading up to a small “secret” study in the attic, a space that was refurbished from an un-used water tank for the building. A guest room was designed to future proof to become a baby room. In order to be multifunctional, a raised platform with built-in storage underneath, can fit a crib, a toddler bed and eventually a double mattress for a young adult.
“The main challenge centred on the social relationships of the residents. We wanted to create a feeling of privacy and independence while still offer opportunities for interaction ”
— Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founder of Bean Buro
Social Island
The centre piece of the communal space is a “social island bar” which superimposes itself between the lounge and the open kitchen. This element is made of white marble, incorporating a bio-fuel fireplace beneath an artwork by late architect Zaha Hadid. This encourages social interaction in the morning as a cooking island, a breakfast bar and an aperitif area. Frame-less glass partitions divides halfway between the bar table to contain cooking smell inside the kitchen if needed.
“The social island is all about bringing the family together – for coffee in the morning, for casual meals and drinks in the evening”
— Lorène Faure, co-founder of Bean Buro
A calming colour scheme
The colour scheme is inspired by the external topography. A calming green colour for the feature wall is a subtle reference to the greenery, as a way to create a dialogue with the outside. This feature wall begins at the entry foyer, and connects the dinning space, living lounge all the way into the open kitchen. It also functions as a high density storage wall, with concealed antiques, and other day to day utilities. The artworks were curated with a fairy tale theme with the joining of humans, trees and nature.
