{"id":243858,"date":"2024-12-20T09:52:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T14:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=canvasflow&p=243858"},"modified":"2024-12-20T11:20:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:20:30","slug":"bean-buro-designs-hong-kong-townhouse","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/bean-buro-designs-hong-kong-townhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Level Up With This Pastel-Hued Sanctuary In Hong Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A pastel-hued sanctuary inspired by Paul C\u00e9zanne paintings of Southern France, a three-story Hong Kong town house for a young family by Bean Buro features a tree-houselike structure for the 13-foot ground level in lacquered ash veneer with children and parent areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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December 20, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n

Text: <\/span>Rebecca Dalzell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Steven Ko<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Level Up With This Pastel-Hued Sanctuary In Hong Kong<\/h1>\n\n\n

Hong Kong was a hard place to live during the pandemic. Like mainland China, it pursued a zero-COVID strategy that left residents cooped up in tiny apartments. \u201cIt was a fearful, oppressive atmosphere,\u201d recalls Lor\u00e8ne Faure, a French native who lives in the city with her husband, Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui. The cofounding directors of Bean Buro, they have two young children and were often unable to go out as a family. \u201cOur building even posted a notice saying our kids weren\u2019t allowed to shout or play too much because it disturbed the neighbors,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So in late 2020, when another set of parents asked Bean Buro<\/a> to conceive a calming home in Hong Kong\u2019s mountainous Tuen Mun district, Faure and Kinugasa-Tsui understood exactly where they were coming from. The lockdown gave them plenty of time to get to know the clients and their two kids and to hold iterative design workshops. \u201cThe question became how to undo some of the damage from COVID and make the home a holistic cocoon where they could connect as a family,\u201d Faure continues. The clients had bought a new three-story town house with a garden and a roof terrace, and they wanted the interiors to connect with the outdoors and promote mental health. The firm, its name, although not capitalized, an acronym for between exchanges of architectural narratives,<\/em> responded with a whimsical pastel-hued sanctuary and a tree-houselike playroom at its heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A pastel-hued sanctuary inspired by Paul C\u00e9zanne paintings of Southern France, a three-story Hong Kong town house for a young family by Bean Buro features a tree-houselike structure for the 13-foot ground level in lacquered ash veneer with children and parent areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Discover This Pastel-Hued Sanctuary By Bean Buro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 2,860-square-foot property sits on a slope, and the lower level has a 13-foot ceiling\u2014a rarity in Hong Kong. Logically, it made sense to put the three bedrooms on the top floor, living and dining areas on the middle level, and a children\u2019s area  below. For the latter, Kinugasa-Tsui says, \u201cWe sought something sculptural and unique to fully utilize the height.\u201d He and Faure, who both trained as architects, aimed to create density without blocking the light that comes in through glass pocket doors opening onto the garden. Inspired by the natural surroundings, they landed on the concept of a tree house. \u201cAll children love them, right?\u201d asks Faure. \u201cAdults do too. It\u2019s like a fantasy to have one inside a building, and, ironically, it\u2019s on the lower floor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made of ash-veneered local timber, the structure, dubbed the \u201cplaypod,\u201d has a flowing form that curves toward the windows and alludes to the shape of a mountain range. Supporting pillars and fluting on the prefabricated panels reference tree trunks, and the wood grain is visible through the sage-green lacquer coating. An upper mezzanine has a headroom of 5\u00bd feet and houses a table where the kids can do crafts or homework; they can also look down over the balustrade and through cutout windows. The part below contains storage, an upholstered reading bench, and the mother\u2019s desk, surrounded by fan-patterned vinyl flooring that\u2019s rhythmic and durable. \u201cThe children have their own little world,\u201d Faure says. \u201cThere\u2019s a constant sort of playfulness, like they\u2019re at the top of the castle with the parents downstairs.\u201d It encourages both independence and togetherness, as everyone has some privacy within the shared space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the daughter\u2019s bedroom, a play area behind the curtain under her custom loft bed can become a study when she\u2019s older.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A mirror by Paola Navone faces the living area, where a Julep sofa by Wagell meets Studiopepe\u2019s Pluto cocktail table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A Nod To Postimpressionist Art<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The lush area around the town house reminded the architects of the South of France, where they often travel to visit Faure\u2019s family. Thus, Paul C\u00e9zanne\u2019s paintings of Provence became the project\u2019s muse. \u201cHis color schemes and depictions of the landscapes are very soothing,\u201d Kinugasa-Tsui explains. \u201cWe looked to recreate that feeling in an abstracted way.\u201d Rounded corners, floors of terrazzo or oak, and a palette of gentle greens and beiges exude tranquility. Bean Buro filled the living and dining areas with curvy furnishings like Jonas Wagell\u2019s Julep sofa, Pacha lounge chairs by Pierre Paulin, and the firm\u2019s own Bean table, topped in marble. Upstairs, arched shapes appear in the daughter\u2019s custom loft bed, a recessed wall in the son\u2019s room, and the entry to their bathroom, while a cloudlike headboard by Federico Peri softens the parents\u2019 bedroom. The latter also incorporates one of the project\u2019s many nooks and crannies: an enclosed tatami room on a platform behind sliding wood doors. It\u2019s a place where the adults can enjoy tea around an automated table that rises from the floor, focus at the built-in desk, or simply find a little peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faure and Kinugasa-Tsui ensured the parents can work from home comfortably, drawing on their experience completing offices for such clients as Warner Music and L\u2019Or\u00e9al. They prioritized good lighting and acoustics: Fabric panels absorb sound in the playpod and strategically placed downlights illuminate desks without casting shadows. Cable management, concealed sockets, and ample hidden storage reduce the visual noise. \u201cWe put a lot of effort into hiding clutter, because clutter creates stress,\u201d Kinugasa-Tsui notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Togo Fireside chair by Michel Ducaroy sits beside the mother\u2019s desk and custom pegboard incorporated into the playpod.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Children\u2019s spaces are challenging, since they often become obsolete as the kids grow up. But Faure and Kinugasa-Tsui expect these to weather the teenage years and beyond. With cozy hiding places, the playpod\u2019s mezzanine feels like an attic where a moody adolescent could disappear. Loose furniture, height-adjustable desks, and the neutral aesthetic create flexibility throughout. Most importantly, the house fosters familial harmony, and those loving connections will outlast any phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk Through The Hong Kong Home\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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On the second level, the oak-floored living area, furnished with Pierre Paulin\u2019s Pacha lounge chairs, a Faye Toogood Roly-Poly chair, and a Jonas Wagell pendant fixture in the corner, opens to a planted balcony and views of a British inter\u00adnational school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Floor\u00ading at the base of the carpeted staircase, which leads up to the bedroom level, is terrazzo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Window cutouts, storage, and built-in seating appoint the playpod, where, like the woven vinyl floor tile, the padded upholstery is durable in Trevira CS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pendants by Michael Anastassiades illuminate the firm\u2019s marble-topped Bean dining table, accompanied by Atelier 2+ Cane chairs and Pietro Russo\u2019s Libelle shelving unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Wood-look LVT floors its child-height, laminate-paneled mezzanine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Terrazzo clads the wall and vanity of the top-level children\u2019s bath-room, with MSDS Studio\u2019s Annular pendants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Venetian plaster walls enclose the main bedroom, its Federico Peri Stone bed and headboard flanked by Luca Nichetto\u2019s marble Lato side tables and lit by a Paavo Tynell floor lamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the son\u2019s bedroom, Kvadrat\u2019s Sunniva 3 upholsters one wall, workout equipment is along another.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A Flowerpot pendant by Verner Panton lights its walk-in wardrobe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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At the entry to the children\u2019s bath\u00adroom, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec Pico ceramic tile surrounds the archway lined in copper-finished stainless steel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

BEAN BURO:<\/strong> WINNIE CHAN; KIRK KWOK; LAURA MULLER; MATTHEW LOK; ANNY TENG. RONALD LU & PARTNERS: ARCHITECT OF RECORD. R&C ENGI\u00adNEERING (H.K.) CO.: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT WAYFLOR:<\/strong> FLOOR TILE (LOWER PLAYPOD). LIGNE ROSET:<\/strong> LOUNGE CHAIR. KVADRAT:<\/strong> LOUNGE CHAIR FABRIC (LOWER PLAYPOD), WALL FABRIC (SON\u2019S BEDROOM). TACCHINI:<\/strong> SOFA, COCKTAIL TABLE (LIVING AREA). TOOGOOD:<\/strong> ARMCHAIR. AUDO COPENHAGEN:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURE. GUBI:<\/strong> WHITE CHAIRS (LIVING AREA), LAMP (MAIN BEDROOM). YARNS:<\/strong> CARPET (STAIR). PODIUM:<\/strong> CHAIRS (DINING AREA). MICHAEL ANASTAS\u00adSIADES:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURE. IMPERIAL MARBLE ENGINEERING COMPANY: <\/strong>TABLETOP (DINING AREA), TERRAZZO FLOORING. BAXTER:<\/strong> SHELF UNIT (DINING AREA), MIRROR (LIVING AREA), BED (MAIN BEDROOM). SHAW CONTRACT:<\/strong> FLOORING (UPPER PLAYPOD). FORMICA:<\/strong> PANELING. WOUD:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES (BATHROOM). ORIENTOP:<\/strong> CUSTOM MIRROR. CHUN YAN HEI TUNG TRADING (SHENZHEN):<\/strong> CUSTOM TERRAZZO. CERAMICA CIELO:<\/strong> SINKS. & TRADITION: <\/strong>SIDE TABLES, PENDANT FIXTURE (MAIN BEDROOM). POLIFORM: <\/strong>CLOSET. MUTINA:<\/strong> WALL TILE (BATHROOM). THROUGHOUT CHALLPAC DECORATIVE SURFACE SOLUTION:<\/strong> WOOD VENEER. DULUX:<\/strong> PAINT.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n