Peekaboo Apartment Life

Designed by local firm Bean Buro in an unusual circular layout, this Hong Kong apartment is a playful yet tasteful home for a growing family

Design studio Bean Buro has transformed a 190-square-metre apartment in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels into a flexible, family-orientated home for a growing family of three.

The challenge (and opportunity) presented itself at the outset: the building is completely circular, meaning the apartment is distinctly arc-shaped. ‘The cylindrical building has very unique geometry, but as trained architects we were naturally drawn to appreciating the unique shape of the space,’ says Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founding director at Bean Buro. ‘We thus conceptualised our layout as a projecting radius, with the main circulation corridor on the inner radius and rooms on the furthest radius, allowing them to be as connected as possible.’

This intelligent planning means the home is characterised by an open floorplan, plenty of natural daylight, and sweeping city views. It was also crucial that the layout be flexible enough to accommodate the family’s evolving needs; for example, a large sliding door connects a double room, with one side currently functioning as the child’s bedroom and the other a study, which will become a second child’s bedroom when necessary. A key feature in this area is the sliding windows that now let the client’s child peek out to see his parents while they’re working. When a sibling comes along, the children will be able to communicate through this portal connecting their two bedrooms. These playful ‘peeking windows’ were conceived as flexible thresholds that encourage social connections between different spaces. 

Each room is connected via a long, curving corridor, with the kitchen and dining areas located on the north side of the apartment to the best views. Sliding glass doors separate the semi-open kitchen from the sitting area, offering natural light, and privacy as needed. A focal point in the dining area is Valet Mixology Centre, designed by David Rockwell for furniture brand Stellar Works, which is perhaps a necessary addition given that the dining area and balcony can now host up to 20 guests at a time. 

Subtle greys, blues and taupes are used to differentiate spaces throughout the apartment, while more energetic colours feature in the children’s areas. Terrazzo counter tops and wet area flooring are a modernist touch, while timber in the living areas and bedrooms echoes the soft colour palette. 

Text / Babette Radclyffe-Thomas
Images / Courtesy of Bean Buro