This Old Soho Flat

Not too long ago, I purchased a fixer upper in SoHo in one of those old walk-up buildings. Actually it’s not one, but two flats side by side, with an external private rooftop as large as the two flats put together. The flats were gutted and the internal walls are about to be demolished creating one big open space of about 800 square feet. The challenge now is to create a modern flat with great space-efficiency where two crappy little antiquated flats previously existed.

I’ve done DIY renovations on several flats I’ve rented, owned or lived in. I’ve even electric-sanded wooden countertops, painted walls, varnished textured paper onto Formica kitchen cabinets and changed door fixtures all by myself but a total overhaul like this one required professionals. Luckily, I met some awesome collaborators who are hopefully going to help me realize my vision of having a cool industrial New York loft-style flat in Soho.

I met Monique McClintok, my interior designer, at BNI a business networking group that meets every Thursday morning. She’s fashionable, accommodating and seemed to understand instinctively the look I was going for.

I wanted whitewashed exposed brick walls, hardwood floors (also some polished concrete sections) and black steel window frames. I wanted a stainless steel kitchen with a granite countertop, loads of closet space and retro Scandinavian furniture. Originally, I was going to work with a local contractor but after seeing the cheap fittings on a flat that this particular contractor did recently, I decided I’d rather work with Monique since she seemed like a good listener and infinitely more trustworthy. She brought on board her friend, architect and contractor SimonTurnbull, to do the actual construction of the flat. Apparently if we had an idea, no matter how far-flung it was, Simon could make it happen.

The first step of the renovation process is drawing up the blueprint of the flat-in other words- you need to decide what goes where. In most flats, you need to take the plumbing into account as well as gauging where the structural walls are. Only then you can go ahead and design the most efficient use of space for the flat. Monique and I brainstormed inside the flat for a whole morning and came out with a layout that screams WOW!!

The following day, we poured over interior design books to come up with a lofty concept. I poured over bathroom tile samples, wooden floor samples, roof decking samples, kitchen countertop samples and we picked cohesive colors and materials that would create the look we were going for.

A few days later Simon, the contractor said there was a problem. They could not knock out one wall since it was a structural wall so to solve this problem he was going to build a massive steel beam to support the roof (I wouldn’t want the roof to cave in while I was having a rooftop party!) Fortunately the steel beam was going to match perfectly with the industrial loft look and would actually become a design feature of the flat when it was all said and done.

Another amazing feature of the flat will be the massive closet in the master bedroom. There are 9-foot ceilings in the flat and tons of storage possibilities up top, so we decided to create a closet with a built-in rolling ladder so one could easily access the top bits.

The bathroom faces a park with a big tree so I wanted it to have an organic woody feel. We picked slightly frosted glass windows so you can’t see inside but you can still see the treetop from the inside.

The final step will be to deal with the rooftop. I haven't even thought that far ahead yet, but I will probably have them install wood decking as wood decking actually prevents heat from becoming trapped inside flat. I'll most likely incorporate a barbeque, bar area, dining area and a lounge where people will be able to watch outdoor movies on projector! There's a really beautiful open view of SoHo but right now, there's alot of work to be done and I don't really want to think about it yet.

The design was created to appeal to most people’s taste because at this juncture I’m not sure if I’m going to rent it or live in it, however both the designer and architect are so excited about this project that they both wish they could move in already!!

We were all on the same page design-wise and I feel the synergy of our collective visions coming to life! It’s so exciting to watch something that resembles a fall-out shelter turn into an amazing livable space that is both homey and lofty at the same time! I poo poo anyone who says the real estate market in Hong Kong has taken a downturn. It’s back and stronger than ever! Follow our fabulous flat conversion journey from inception to realization.
 

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