Home Journal

Wellness is an elusive quest. In a fairly low moment a few months ago, while being indoor-bound during the peak of the fifth wave, I, like many, turned to my friends for comfort, only to find they were in need of emotional support as much as me. Desperate for some positivity, we pulled out all stops to keep the conversation upbeat, but with little success, and half an hour of negative chat plunged us even further into apathy. It was in that period of unwanted solitude when I came to realise that happiness – or contentment to be more exact – comes most powerfully from within. On our internal quest for contentment, we all need a little help. Instead of forcing yourself to mediate or do yoga, a better way to locate…

The world’s biggest interior design and furniture fair is back in its 60th rendition with a sustainability focused theme. Held at Fiera Milano in Rho from 7 to 12 June, the colossal event, otherwise known as the Milan Furniture Fair, will feature more than 2,000 exhibitors, and unveil an eclectic mix of revolutionary designs, art and furniture. Noting the disruptions and changes brought about by the global pandemic over the past two years, Salone del Mobile Milano 2022 is looking ahead, showcasing best-in-class designs that promote environmental and human wellbeing, and spotlighting more than 600 talented young designers under the age of 35 who aspire to create more equitability and responsibility as the world battles climate change, environmental pollution, and humanitarian crisis. To this end, the fair has drawn up a series…

The Japandi design style – a combination of Japanese Zen and Scandinavian hygge – has been on everyone’s radar in recent years for some good reasons. We desire a sense of balance and harmony now more than ever before. One way to achieve a Japandi look is to “let go”, which means only keeping the better quality pieces, while dropping the unnecessary ones, to generate a sense of contentment in your home. A style marked by a profound connection with nature, Japandi celebrates organic silhouettes, natural materials, and sustainability. Try layering fluffy furniture and textured accessories with sleek, minimalistic pieces to add volume and depth. Always a plus is to add pops of green from succulents and ferns to boost the mood. In terms of colour palettes, both the Japanese and Scandinavian…

Based on human-centric design, interior design firm Grande Interior Design recently remodelled an office in Tsuen Wan into a soothing green environment, where employees can work and collaborate happily with each other. A sprawling 8,000 square feet in area, the office is now home to a number of shared communal spaces and decked out in natural, organic elements “Because the office has a large footprint, balancing out the space proportions is no easy task,” says Matthew Li, creative director at Grande Interior Design. “This includes deciding on the work area locations, how much communal space we should include, how we can improve the facilities, etc. Efficiently segmenting the space was a big part of the brief. You need to be able to tell the work area and communal zones apart, and yet…

When YC Chen, founder of interior design studio hoo, started to work on a home in the lush Tai Po neighbourhood, he instantly knew he wanted to incorporate a mix of two styles: Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics. Using that exact combination, dubbed Japandi, he left no stone unturned to transform the three-bedroom hillside home. “The homeowners are a couple in their 50s who prefer a quiet and private lifestyle. They wanted a sanctuary that is comfortable and suits their living habits,” Chen explains. The Japandi style, included in Pinterest’s list of growing trends last year, has been making waves in home decor. An abbreviation for Japanese-Scandinavian, Japandi is a merging of the two worlds. One (Japanese) is rooted in a Zen-like environment that celebrates the beauty of imperfection, the other (Scandinavian) manifests itself…

Perched on the east coast of Zhejiang Province, Taizhou is a beautiful, yet relatively unnoticed coastal city steeped in history, culture and nature. It is marked by a landscape of lush mountains, a river network rivalling that of Suzhou and Hangzhou, and a natural marvel, Tiantai Mountain, holy to both Tiantai Buddhism and “Northern” Taoism. Such cultural significance and natural beauty have deeply inspired this four-storey residence by Taiwanese interior designer T.K. Chu, where he has turned 900 square metres of land into the epitome of curved aesthetics combined with oriental charm. “I always study the culture of a place before I start a project,” says Chu, adding that Taizhou is a scenic city where brutalist and delicate, Taoism and Buddhism, as well as the past and present, coexist in harmony. Such a…