Hasta La Ideas

Hong Kong studio Lim + Lu has converted a former printing press into a loft apartment for an artist couple, featuring white walls, sliding steel partitions and bright red pipes.

The 2600-square-foot (240 square-metre) Residence HM is located in the south of Hong Kong, in an area filled with industrial buildings. Lim + Lu was tasked with making the warehouse habitable for the artist couple, as well as their five pets.

The designers drew influence from the renovated lofts of New York, where the the couple lived for several years, but adopted a minimal colour palette that is more in line with the style in Hong Kong.

“We borrowed elements from the surrounding industrial neighbourhood and intertwined them with the idea of a New York loft,” said Lim + Lu co-founder Elaine Lu.

“The idea of a warehouse-type New York loft in Hong Kong seems unusual, yet it is perfectly fitting in the surrounding industrial environment,” she continued.

“When inside the space, without looking out the windows, one is transported to a loft in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When you look out, you are immediately connected to Hong Kong.”

Bright white walls and window frames help to lighten the space, while the old ceiling pipes are picked out with vibrant red.

Other details help to maintain the warehouse aesthetic, include dark steel partitions, wooden laminate flooring and industrial-style furniture.

As part of the renovation, Lim + Lu divided the formerly single space into two halves, separating the communal areas from the more private spaces.

On one side, the original factory door opens onto a small entrance hall, featuring a red-metal shoe cabinet and a wooden bench. A steel door on one side slides open to the workshop, where the artists host printing and baking classes.

A window offers a glimpse into the more private living spaces, which are accessed through another sliding steel door. The kitchen and dining area are set at the front, and designed with enough space for residents to host dinner parties. Black kitchen cabinets wrap the corner, surrounding a rustic wooden dining table.

Along with the lounge, these spaces are locate to make the most of natural light.

The master bedroom and the guest bedroom are set to the rear, which features fewer windows. The studio added steel and glass partitions to separate the space, to ensure that plenty of daylight is allowed in.

Concrete tiles line the walls of the larger shower in the master bedroom’s en-suite, while the surrounding concrete walls around the bath area and toilet are covered in a waterproof coating that offers a green hue.

These walls also feature in the guest bedroom en-suite, but are contrasted with bright teal tiles lining the shower.

Lim + Lu is led by Vincent Lim and Elaine Lu. The duo are currently based in Hong Kong, where they recently completed a bright apartment home to double as its showroom. Other past projects by the multidisciplinary designers include a pastel and brass daybed collection.

Photography is by Nirut Benjabanpot.

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