How interior designer Emma Maclean revived this Hong Kong home with clever, English-inspired modernism
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Hugo Busbridge and Michelle Ng’s 1,100 sq ft Clear Water Bay apartment stands as a testament to extremely well-planned design and intentional living. The British couple, who have lived in Hong Kong for 11 and 14 years, respectively, had been renting in the area for several years and loved its peace and quiet, so when the chance came to put down more permanent roots, they went all out to create a streamlined family-oriented home. Designer Emma Maclean, of Emma Maclean & Co, and her associate Tasneem Tyebkhan breathed new life into the formerly cramped and uninspiring space, gutting and rearranging the original layout, which had been carved up into a series of tiny rooms.
“It was an exercise in accuracy and creative design solutions because there was so much to fit into a relatively small space”, says Maclean, who grew up in Hong Kong and established her design studio in 2018 after working for a decade on high-end hospitality and commercial projects. “Hugo and Michelle wanted to simplify their lives but they have a young daughter and two cats so the apartment had to work for all of them and be able to evolve with time.”
Busbridge and Ng focused their budget on top-quality construction, double glazing and bespoke cabinetry, prioritising longevity and practicality but without compromising on style. As Busbridge is a design and technology teacher at an international school, he was particularly interested in the planning stages, the use of space and the selection of finishes. With a design concept based on a tranquil English country house featuring soft tones and textures, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a rooftop terrace embodies an elegant, contemporary feel.
A pretty duck-egg-blue front door sets the colour palette, which is echoed by the kitchen cabinetry and bathroom tiles. Maclean and Tyebkhan also established a strong connection between indoors and out through the liberal use of warm, grainy timber and floral wallcoverings.
“We’re both quite old-fashioned. Give us both a cup of tea, Michelle an antique edition of Pride and Prejudice and myself the escapades of Bertie Wooster, coupled with an environment that evokes bygone eras, and we’re there forever”, says Busbridge. “We wanted to capture the essence of the English Arts and Crafts period: William Morris patterns, Cambridge greens and natural oak tones but with a nod to Hong Kong’s maritime locale.”
At the heart of the home lies the kitchen/dining area, with a focus on family bonding through cooking, meal times, conversation and games. The absence of a conventional living room, with a television screen as a focal point, was a deliberate omission by the couple and additional seats located elsewhere in the home ensure there is always room for at least one more around the table.
“We both grew up in old and cold houses in the UK, where the kitchen was always the cosy family hub,” says Ng, director of The Family Zone, antenatal, postnatal and breastfeeding specialists. “We were keen to recreate the same arrangement.”
The bedrooms in this home in Clear Water Bay, designed by Emma Maclean & Co, are cleverly concealed behind doors disguised as bookshelves. Photo: One Twenty-Three Photography
Maclean removed the wall between the dining area and the main bedroom for every last centimetre of precious space. Inspired by the intricate balance and precision of the game of Jenga, she and Tyebkhan devised a storage system as a divider for the two areas, featuring interlocking cupboards and shelves of different depths on both sides. They also hollowed out two thick but lightweight doors separating the main space from the bedrooms and installed bookshelves with brass detailing. When the doors are closed, you would never realise they were doors at all, which makes the kitchen/dining area feel cosy and offers the bedrooms complete privacy when needed.
“Hardwood HK’s kitchen is the most obvious winner of the home’s best feature but we love the bookshelf-concealed bedroom doors. They have a beautiful silently opening weight to them”, says Busbridge.
The main bedroom exudes a similar sense of tranquillity and organisation. The hydraulic bed was measured precisely so it could accommodate suitcases beneath it, and versatile wooden cubes at its foot can be pulled out and rearranged at will, showcasing a commitment to both form and function. As there wasn’t enough space for bedside tables, Maclean incorporated a pop-out shelf on each side that can be stowed away when not in use.
From a pulley system for storing Busbridge’s bike, to cat accessories ingeniously tucked away (see Tried + tested), Emma Maclean & Co’s innovative solutions reflect a deep understanding of the family’s needs, even unrealised ones. Pretty in pink and lilac, their daughter’s bedroom contains mostly loose furniture so it can be easily changed when a more mature look is required further down the line.
“Without Emma and her team, the renovation would most likely have taken double the time, been double the budget and turned out badly”, says Busbridge.
Custom wooden storage cubes offer more storage in the main bedroom. Photo: Steve Wong/One Twenty-Three Photography
At the foot of the main bed, which was designed by Emma Maclean & Co (emmamaclean.co) and made by Hardwood HK (hardwoodhk.com), are different sized wooden storage cubes that can be pulled out and put back in any configuration.
Bathroom
Bathroom details in this Clear Water Bay homey designed by Emma Maclean & Co. Photo: Steve Wong/One Twenty-Three Photography
Emma Maclean & Co designed the bathroom, with a sink unit made by Hardwood HK. The floor tiles were from Winckelmans (winckelmans.com).
Daughter’s room
The daughter’s room in this Clear Water Bay home is pretty in pink. Photo: Steve Wong/One Twenty-Three Photography
The perfect bedroom for a little girl features a bed from Ikea (ikea.com.hk) and a pendant lamp and bunting from Petit Bazaar (petit-bazaar.com). Covered with Casadeco wallpaper from Wallpaper Plus (wallpaperplus.com.hk) to match the adjacent wall, the wardrobe was designed by Emma Maclean & Co and made by Hardwood HK, featuring mouse doorknobs from Zara Home (zarahome.com).
Landing
Details on the landing. Photo: Steve Wong/One Twenty-Three Photography
On the landing leading to the rooftop is a sizeable linen cupboard, designed by Emma Maclean & Co and made by Hardwood HK. The bike pulley storage system was from Amazon (amazon.com) and the pendant lamp had been found by Emma Maclean in an online sale.
Dining room detail
Emma Maclean & Co designed the bookshelves fronting the two doors leading to the bedrooms. They were made by Hardwood HK.
Main bedroom
Wallpaper details and a custom pop-out nightstand in the main bedroom. Photo: Steve Wong/One Twenty-Three Photography
A recess in the main bedroom is lined with wallpaper from Jane Churchill (janechurchillinteriors.co.uk). The reading lamps came from Ikea. The bed and all cabinetry were designed by Emma Maclean & Co and made by Hardwood HK.
Kitchen
The duck-egg-blue kitchen cabinetry, dining room cabinetry, shelving and banquette with integrated storage were all designed by Emma Maclean & Co and made by Hardwood HK. The dining table was from BoConcept (boconcept.com) and the chairs were from Ikea. Wood-effect vinyl flooring was from Karlian International (karlianintl.com). The wallpaper in the recess was by Colefax and Fowler from Altfield (altfield.com.hk) and the Opal Shade pendant light in snow white was by Warm Nordic (warmnordic.com).
Tried+ Tested
Two marble-fronted drawers beneath the kitchen cabinetry pull out to reveal cat bowls (in colours that coordinate with the rest of the decor, naturally) and a partition behind each one to store the cans of food. They make use of otherwise dead space and maintain the kitchen’s clean lines.
