This “Urban Cocoon” Is a Soothing Apartment in the Middle of Hong Kong

Calming materials and cozy feels make this Hong Kong apartment extra enchanting.

The slatted dividing wall creates a distinction between the living room and the entryway, which is essentially part of a larger open space that includes the dining area.

Although the high-energy city of Hong Kong doesn’t usually conjure up images of quiet relaxation, the home that design firm Bean Buro envisioned for one young family is certainly full of calming vibes. The firm calls the project Urban Cocoon because, as co-founder Lorène Faure explains, “We have managed to create an extremely calming and cozy family apartment right in the middle of the city.”

Bean Buro’s Urban Cocoon draws inspiration from Japanese teahouses. This reference point can be felt at the entryway, which features light timber and slatted screens.

Bean Buro’s Urban Cocoon draws inspiration from Japanese teahouses. This reference point can be felt at the entryway, which features light timber and slatted screens.

Photo courtesy of Bean Buro

The slatted dividing wall creates a distinction between the living room and the entryway, which is essentially part of a larger open space that includes the dining area.

The slatted dividing wall creates a distinction between the living room and the entryway, which is essentially part of a larger open space that includes the dining area.

Photo courtesy of Bean Buro

Bean Buro thoughtfully organized the interior of the 1,200-square-foot flat with distinct zone and light wood interiors reminiscent of Japanese teahouses. The firm took every opportunity to insert additional storage into the compact home, and there are nooks for napping and reading books.

The bedroom, study, and living room, which the firm refers to as cocoons, are carefully appointed to take advantage of the apartment’s best views. There are also two work from home setups—for both the husband and the wife—that can be discreetly tucked away.  

The timber slatted dividers serve double duty by supporting bookshelves in the living room and coat hooks at the entry.

The timber slatted dividers serve double duty by supporting bookshelves in the living room and coat hooks at the entry. 

Photo courtesy of Bean Buro

See the full story on Dwell.com: This “Urban Cocoon” Is a Soothing Apartment in the Middle of Hong Kong
Related stories:

  • This Floating Home in Chilean Patagonia Boasts Breathtaking Views
  • A Flourishing Garden Grows Inside This Glass-Roofed Melbourne Victorian
  • An Affordable Prefab Home Frames the Rugged Landscape in Rural Australia

Similar Posts

  • 1110 apartment

    Measuring just 62m2, the apartment is located in a new building in Hanoi. Every unit of this building is small and is designed for young families. The original plan contains two bedrooms with compressed functions. The whole space is divided into small rooms. The renovated concept is to break the stifling sensation of closed rooms to create a new space where functions intertwine softly, flexibly and the natural light can enter the deepest corners. In the new design, a bedroom is removed to expand living space. A bathroom is converted into the washing room and storage. The balcony became a green space, connecting living space and bedroom. Finishing materials and furniture aim for simplicity, natural and rustication. Furniture are made to serve their very purposes, and not to put pressure on the space. Many old wooden parts have been reconfigured into two tables. Glass is used to show the structure of the tables and to avoid casting shadows on the wooden floor. The indigo plywood cabinet and the yellow cement wall cover the kitchen and are the highlight of the living space. With a small area, good quality of life can be achieved just by balancing the functions in a harmonious way; accepting to abandon some needs and to change our lifestyle.

  • San Antonio House

    The trapezoidal tracing of the property is what defined the construction of this house into three clearly settled volumes. Vegetation also plays a protagonist role in the design of this house, both outdoors and indoors. The exterior trees enclose the house generating distinct tons of shades and colours during the different seasons of the year. Within the interior, the unruly green vegetation, contrasts with the stone floors and solid walls, reaching a perfect sense of balance. The entrance, a double height lobby that creates contrasting sensations and distinct visual ending points originated by water mirrors, light shafts, a tree and a staircase. The walls that shape this area, divide the spaces into private and public areas. The ground floor, is organized into two blocks each with a different purpose: The left side, is a white solid cube that integrates the study and the master bedroom and is separated from the other block by a water mirror and a yard that generates the desired privacy, peace and tranquility. The right side, the social area, is a rectangle closed to the west by a rigid wall and opened towards the interior of the house through large floor to ceiling glass walls, giving sober transparency to the yard with views to the garden and the central courtyard. The different angles within the construction achieve visual ending points with great character, as well as, enhancing the sensations provoked by the pure whites that evolve into mixed tones as the day and the seasons go by.

  • Creative Climbing Walls for the Kids’ Rooms: A More Active Home Interior

    Today’s lives are increasingly becoming sedentary in nature and we barely tend to get off of our seat to get things done. Technology has brought with it many advantages without a doubt. But it has done barely any good to our physical well being with neck, shoulder and spinal problems becoming more of a common […]

    You’re reading Creative Climbing Walls for the Kids’ Rooms: A More Active Home Interior, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.