A Hidden Bar, an Inherited Sword and an Antique That Gave a Designer Pause

When a Hong Kong couple asked Lim + Lu to house a lifetime of collecting — Chinese antiques, African objects, Southeast Asian heirlooms — the brief was simple: make it feel like home

For an interior designer, few commissions are as exhilarating — or as daunting — as the home of serious collectors. When the clients are a couple with homes across the globe and a deep affinity for Chinese antiques, plus heirlooms and objects spanning Africa to Southeast Asia, the challenges multiply: how do you create something cohesive without reducing their treasures to museum pieces? How do you honour that breadth without the whole thing collapsing into cliché?

‘Our work here was driven entirely by our clients’ collection,’ says Elaine Lu, co-founder and managing director of interdisciplinary Hong Kong practice Lim + Lu. ‘They wanted to honour local flavour, but they were also moving from a larger house into this smaller, more intimate space. The question became how to showcase these treasures without overwhelming the home.’

The project is a 200-square-metre apartment within a beloved 1958 building in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels. It’s a structure Lim + Lu know intimately, having already completed three projects here. This familiarity gave the duo confidence to pursue the unit’s latent potential, enlarging the original windows to frame the surrounding treetops so that foliage filters light and seasons become part of the domestic landscape. ‘We love this old building and its green surroundings,’ says Lu.

That attention to context runs through the whole residence. The guiding principle was to let the architecture support the collection rather than compete with it. Natural materials set a calm yet warm foundation; black arched portals delineate the living and dining areas, their curved forms picking up the rounded door hardware found throughout — a low-key visual rhythm that guides the eye without demanding attention. 

At the entry, bespoke chinoiserie wallpaper and a custom marble console establish the register. In the living room, a sword passed down from the client’s grandfather now hangs above a Calacatta Viola fireplace. ‘Most family memories are created around fireplaces,’ Lu observes. ‘They ground the space.’ 

Nearby, a substantial antique Chinese console — one of the designer’s favourite pieces — initially gave her pause. ‘It holds such strong character,’ she recalls. ‘We had to highlight it without falling into cliché.’ The solution was to let it breathe, surrounded by negative space and natural light. And across the room, a glossy green lacquered hidden bar — the project’s most unexpected moment.

The main bedroom follows the same restrained logic: rattan finishes, custom rounded hardware and bespoke chinoiserie wallpaper, all animated by the clients’ art. Here, the palette softens further, inviting repose. The bathroom continues in Calacatta Viola marble, with a glass panel bearing the same chinoiserie motif. 

Across the hallway, the study looks out to a balcony where the city recedes behind greenery. The guest bathroom is a different proposition entirely — green terrazzo paired with emerald tiles, the mood more charged. ‘We wanted to be more daring here,’ Lu says. ‘Guest bathrooms reveal your less restrained side.’ The result is a space that feels both playful and considered — a counterpoint to the home’s quieter moments.

Text by Salomé Grouard
Images by Arek Lam