Wood may just be the next ‘quiet luxury’ trend for Hong Kong homes | South China Morning Post

Whether it’s a colonial touch or traditional Chinese-style architecture you seek, ever-versatile timber’s your answer

Building with wood is as much about feelings as aesthetics. Upcycled trees are warm to the touch, pleasant on the nose and, as a biophilic material, psychologically soothing.

Hong Kong might be bucking a global movement back to timber construction, but inside their concrete towers, some residents are finding that designing with wood transports them to a place of calm.

“In my first year of secondary school, when teachers taught us about the architecture of the building, I was not very interested,” says Leung, a chromatic harmonica player. “Over time, I started to enjoy the atmosphere around me, which felt warm and cosy. I thought those vintage interior elements would be nice to have in my own apartment.”

In the two-bedroom, two-bathroom 840 sq ft flat, vintage-inspired patterned floor tiles are complemented by walnut wainscoting and a walnut ceiling, the deep chocolate wood tones and ruby ceramics imbuing, Leung says, “warmth and character with a colonial touch”.

The use of veneer, rather than solid wood, balances sustainability with sensibility, he continues, and avoids vulnerability to expansion and contraction as humidity levels rise and fall. “Wanting the visitor to feel the richness of the decor, but without the heaviness, we layered the entranceway with floor and ceiling lighting,” he says.