An old, wooden cart greets you as you step into the living room of this three-bedroom apartment. In its former life, it might have shifted bales of hay or bags of charcoal; now, it holds a couple of vases and the occasional mug or magazine in its new incarnation as the homeowners’ coffee table.
It’s one of several pieces that Johnny Leung, creative director of Chinc’s Workshop and interior designer for this Wylie Court home, sourced to give the space its subtle industrial vibe. “We got a lot of design details from the American industrial era,” says Johnny, pointing to the hanging vintage Edison light bulbs that flank the cabinets in the dining area.
Many of the vintage pieces, such as the stools at the kitchen bar, were sourced in Hong Kong. The wooden cart – along with the mismatched, scratched up dining chairs – was found right here as well: at WDSG on St Francis Street, Wan Chai. “All the accessories are pretty much vintage, or have a vintage feel to them,” Johnny says. And the pendant lights above the oak dining table? “They look like rusted bronze, but they’re actually new and have a similar vintage look to them,” explains Johnny. “It’s becoming easier to find [vintage] products in Hong Kong, but some are in really bad shape. We didn’t want to spend too much time refurbishing, so we bought things that were usable but at the same time [looked like they have] some wear and tear to them.”
The industrial-chic theme continues in the kitchen with the cement tiles and custom-made, black, wrought iron cabinetry with glass panels. Most of the work was actually done in the kitchen, to make it into a more user-friendly U-shaped space, as it’s where the male owner spends a lot of time. “He works from home, likes to cook, and has friends over quite often, so the kitchen was his main concern when renovating the space,” Johnny says.
The en suite master bedroom is where the theme becomes most apparent: here, wrought iron sliding door frames, sandblasted glass and relay plaster walls reign. These raw details are offset by the use of oak – in the bedroom and throughout the living and dining spaces – to avoid the industrial theme getting too repetitive.
A grey base colour was applied to the walls, so that the couple can change things up and add elements that appeal to each of their respective preferences without affecting the overall feel. Says Johnny, “They’re both creative in their own ways. The female owner, a commercial graphic designer, likes more vibrant colours and patterns, while the male owner, who has his own investment company, focuses more on materials and textures. They’re quite easygoing in terms of accepting each other’s differing tastes. They respect each other, and they respected me, which made my job a lot easier.” Johnny considers himself lucky to have had such good-natured clients. After all, there aren’t many who are bold enough to deviate from the mainstream and plonk down a beat-up cart as the talking point of their living room.
Photography: Edgar Tapan
Styling: Bridget Saunders
