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Show Stoppers
Showflats allow interior designers to let loose their creative sides
| Text : Rebecca Lo | Photo : Photos courtesy Danny Cheng and Cream |
We have all experienced it before. Twenty-something agents decked out in grey suits strategically placed within high traffic shopping malls swarm around, beckoning you to check out their latest showflats. Slickly packaged with beautiful people sashaying about in surroundings that resemble a Mediterranean coastline rather than the New Territories, the highlight of these luxury properties is often the showflat. While you may not be in the market for a new pad, showflats are nevertheless clever ways to peak into how the other half lives. They make thoughtful use of space in small units while splashing out on sumptuous combinations of materials, furnishings and equipment in sprawling ones. And, from an interior designer’s perspective, it lets ideas run wild on fanciful concepts that incorporate theatrical elements while showcasing the latest trends.
Antony Chan, founder of Cream in Hong Kong, has been designing luxury residences for over a decade after a stint working in Paris with legendary Andree Putman. His solid architectural training in England is combined with a love for one-of-a-kind products that he personally hand selects in obscure European boutiques. Well versed with many of the city’s top developers, he has been devoting a portion of his workload to showflats in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan and Dubai over the past couple of years. He explains that designing a showflat is a completely different approach when compared to private residences. “The showflat brings out the quality and status of the development,” Chan says. “Different sizes attract different people and different target markets. Yoho Town, for example, will attract first time homebuyers due to its smaller size and suburban location. And showflats in situ are different than those in temporary sales offices.”
Chan believes that Hong Kong buyers are much more mature when viewing showflats than their counterparts in China. While there is certainly no shortage of new property developments across the border, the showflats are for the most part targeted at first time homebuyers and offer a more down to earth realism in aesthetics. “Hong Kong showflats tend to be more like a catwalk and can be very experimental,” Chan notes. “They can showcase a designer’s creativity and how far they can go. It is all part of the advertising campaign and can be very dramatic.” Part of that can be expressed in the way the latest products and materials are assembled into a coherent whole that would arouse the interest of potential buyers. “It is a good marketing tool for developers. It’s not just about a beautiful space. From the naming of the residence to the celebrities endorsing it, it is a total package that enhances the residence’s identity and the target market’s aspirations.”
Anita Tang, deputy general manager at Henderson Land Development, is in charge of overseeing her company’s marketing campaigns. She has worked on developing showflat concepts with the likes of John Chan and Hirsch Bedner Associates, and with budgets of approximately HK$2,000 per square foot for a dream home. She sees the showflat as an important part of an overall package designed to sell a dream, and admits that it is not a real residence. “Our showflats are all decorated with strong themes and characteristics to capture the heart of a visitor,” Tang explains. “They cannot be subtle. The design must be exaggerated.”
Tang herself is a professional interior designer who worked on both showflats and residences before joining Henderson Land. For each of its residential sites, Henderson Land will build a minimum of two showflats, ideally on site if the project is well under construction. For the ones constructed at the sales office, large photographic murals are used as backdrops to let buyers visualize how their home will look in its actual surroundings. Tang cites that another major difference between residences and showflats is time: the showflat must be able to impress quickly. “People stay an average of 15 to 30 minutes in a showflat,” she explains. “We must show them how it can relate to their own lives within a short time frame. And we must demonstrate realistically how a buyer can turn a unit into a dream home while hiding the property’s shortcomings.”
Danny Cheng, a Hong Kong-based interior designer, has also worked on a number of high-end residences in the decade since he established his eponymous firm. After graduating from Toronto’s Academy of Design, he began to develop a style that incorporates architectural forms with modern classic furniture and minimal details. He has recently worked on showflats such as Chianti for HKR International as well as Cite 33 and The Beverly Hills for Henderson Land. “Designing showflats is like working on a set,” Cheng says. “It aims for people to buy into a fantasy. We provide a scene and show people how to use it. It does not have to be practical.”
Cheng loves the freedom of designing showflats since he can really let his creative juices flow. Instead of a client with pragmatic requirements, showflats are targeted at a market group and must contain maximum visual impact. “I can really push the design,” he states. “There are no limits, unless the showflat is in situ and have site restrictions.” He believes that trends featured in showflats will help guide the developer’s choice for their final products. “It is a platform for trying new things,” he says.
“There is always a story behind the showflat,” says Chan, who enjoys designing showflats just as much as residences. “Each residence has its own clientele. Since it is not as personal as a private home, I can go wild, have fun and be more energetic with my designs. There is never just one solution.”
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