Tsuen Wan Studio

The owners live by the LOHAS idea, so they wanted one small flat that could be a calm home one moment and a working studio the next, on their say-so. We built this open-plan interior design around home as the lead idea and the studio as the supporting one, then changed the layout to give them that flexibility. Taking down one partition opened up room for a shower and a laundry, and the generous 14-foot ceiling let us add a mezzanine that doubles as a bedroom, or a meeting room and studio once the bed gives way to a work desk and chairs.

A floating timber staircase leads up to the mezzanine, finished with a black steel recessed handrail that is backlit so the climb is gentle after dark. Plants and loungy wooden furniture run through the space and carry the owners' easy, playful character. Overall we set the tone with cool black and grey lifted by a warm yellow, and the kitchen picks up that yellow in an open bar layout so nothing blocks the view.

At the entrance we built a tailor-made cabinet with an upholstered bench. When the flat is a home, it is the spot to sit and take your shoes off, and when it is a studio, it becomes a small waiting area for clients, one piece quietly doing both jobs.