A Curated Lifestyle — Design Anthology

Hong Kong-based creative agency Unveil Limited launches THE SHOPHOUSE, a lifestyle and exhibition space in a restored 1930s shophouse

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Before megastructures and vertical developments came to define Hong Kong’s iconic skyline, tong lau (low-rise tenement buildings combining commercial and residential spaces), once wove together the city’s urban fabric.

The pastel walk-up buildings first emerged to accommodate the Chinese immigrants who came to Hong Kong in the 1940s help build the newly founded Victoria City. While many of these historical houses have undergone redevelopment, the buildings in Tai Hang are almost all tong lau, making the neighbourhood a charming relic of the city’s past. One such building, a five-storey tong lau dating back to the 1930s, has now been reborn as THE SHOPHOUSE, the latest brainchild of local creative agency Unveil Limited.

It took two months to scratch away the Grade III-building’s bubblegum-pink facade before Hong Kong-based architecture firm aona helped restore the structure’s original rough grey ‘Shanghai plaster’ exterior to match the original design features like wrought-iron window grilles, hand-painted tiles and terrazzo flooring. According to the Unveil Limited team, these original elements were what drew them to the space in the first place, and it’s this appreciation of old items and a desire to change negative perceptions around antiques — that restoring them is an unprofitable undertaking, for example — that spurred the Unveil Limited team to establish THE SHOPHOUSE.

For its launch, THE SHOPHOUSE hosted to a trio of exhibitions spread across three floors: a collection of teacups by British ceramicist Steve Harrison complemented by a selection of Postcard Teas, an archival exhibition of workwear by Bulgarian fashion designer Kiko Kostadinov’s and an exhibition of work by British contemporary artist Ben Edmunds. In the mezzanine-floor Study is a rotating collection of books recommended and curated by the current exhibiting artists. The rest of the exhibition and social spaces include Pantry & Things, a street-level tea and coffee bar, the second-floor Storage, which displays vintage clothing and furniture, and a petite gallery space on the third floor. Redesigned with emerging artists and craftspeople in mind, the rooftop features a studio for short-term residencies alongside a garden for community socialising.

This sense of dynamism and lack of obvious definition is reinforced by the founding team’s refusal to restrict THE SHOPHOUSE to a determined identity — going so far as to eschew a traditional logo — and conscious avoidance of trendy buzzwords. What ties the various floors and functions together is a pared-back aesthetic and minimal furniture; faux walls were also added to hide cables, sockets and security cameras to further declutter the space. The designers say this was a conscious decision that allows THE SHOPHOUSE to acts as a canvas onto which exhibiting artists can apply their touch.

Exhibitions at THE SHOPHOUSE are set to rotate every month or two, and currently on view is a collection of antique typewriters, recycled sculptures and iron utensils. The aim of these varied exhibitions is to allow the public to discover something new and see THE SHOPHOUSE with fresh eyes each time they visit.

Text / Nicole Chim
Images / THE SHOPHOUSE