Wow, this is really classy. I love the monochromatic and sleek look.

This place is awesome... I just want to move right in.

This is my first time posting on Apartment Therapy, although I have been looking at the site every day for a few years. This is the first time I have been moved to post. This apartment is FABULOUS! I love everything about it, especially the Closet and Kitchen. Way to go!

Now *this* is what you call innovative and visionary!

This is a beautiful apartment, but calling it "shoestring budget" is an insult to people who know what that term really means.

eise0100 I was just about to post a very similar comment.

Just because you have DIY elements doesn't mean it was done on a shoestring budget, unless you know you stumbled upon Eames chairs in the trash or something.

Candace, my daughter lived for a while in an apartment in Japan and not only is space at a premium, everything costs so much more compared to the U.S.! You have done very well considering the obstacles.

I think that must have been the longest shoestring ever.

wow, looking through your comment history, eise0100 you're really a hater.

candace, this is absolutely gorgeous. but one thing though, how do you bike around hongkong? the bike is lovely nonetheless.

I'd like to hear more about the floors!

gorgeous space! who cares about the budget? it's meant to inspire and that it does!

I think this is less about budget and more about focusing on a few things that really make this LOOK expensive:

1. the restrained color palette
2. almost zero clutter
3. a few, well-chosen pieces of furniture

All of these things make the space LOOK more expensive — and there is nothing wrong with that.

Love this look! One question, is it me or are the pics color manipulated? On first glance I thought maybe the photos were b & w with the wood color added in.

GORGEOUS! Would love to see a full house tour with additional pics.

I'm with @Aaron Able on all points ... really a lovely, sophisticated space!

I must admit though that I'm not a fan of the skull on the dining table as seen in the first photo. Frankly, creeps me out a bit. Maybe moving the antlers and skull tableau to a side table or console?

Where are those white boxes from?

Gorgeous!

Does anyone know where the large floor lamp is from, the one behind the bike?

This is perfect - monochromatic but not at all boring, beautiful finishes and furnishings that look effortless and uncluttered in a teeny space. Just perfect.

Here, now - simmer down on all the "you don't know poor" snobbery. For all you know the owner had that furniture from before or did indeed find it at a yard sale or in the trash. Sometimes you just have to accept that other people are luckier than you.

i like that coffee table :)

FLOORS! I was so disappointed there's no info on the floors... please tell us more.

I definitely want to see more! A full house tour maybe?

It IS a beautiful place, but how long is that shoestring?!?

How much can we learn here?

I love the skull and antlers on the table and definitely would love to hear more about the incredible floor. Was that there already?

this is great! love the palette and layout!!! clean and un-cluttered in a way that is still so very warm and inviting. i too, do not understand the current fascination with skulls, but everything else is pppppppppeerrrfect! thanks for sharing!!! : ))

Love it. tell us about the FLOOR!!

Wow! Really love this space, all that clean white, silver, and touches of more cozy elements (natural wood of ladders and tables, row of baskets in the closet), mmm. Reminds me of the Muji store!

Hmmm. In Hong Kong, large spaces in commercial buildings are not uncommon at all, however this kind of 'conversion' is illegal (there are loopholes you can exploit with the help of a knowledgeable architect) and living in an industrial or commercial building is categorically not allowed.
And as a resident of Hong Kong for over 10 years, I can also confirm, there is no shoestring here unless the OP brought all the furniture with her from somewhere else.
It is lovely though ...I would be interested to know where this is.

Okay, I just picked myself up off the floor.

I think I need a full house tour because I want to study this place from every angle. It's A-Mazing! And that closet? There are no words.

My only words when looking at those photos were (well, not actual words):
WOW
WOW
WOW!
Please do a house tour.
It's the best I have seen here (and I've seen many good things) in a long time.

LOVE!!!!

and oh! those floors. were those in a shoestring bugdet as well? you must wear gucci.

simply beautiful! the floors look like concrete with a stain rubbed on them with a polyurethane seal on top. love the whole look!

beautiful, and someone already said it: it reminds me of the muji store!

Those furniture pieces may not be originals... there's a company here in Aus that manufactures replicas of famous pieces Eames, Le Corbusier etc. They're cheaper, and obviously inferior quality, but look the part. No doubt the same replicas would be available in Hong Kong, or China at least.

I love this place!!
You've done a wonderful job. Totally jealous.

Dirce79- the "you don't know poor" comments are totally warranted here, and you know it. Lucky, huh? Everything in this place looks shiny and new (flawless chsterfield?), including the floors. And it's located in the middle of a major, expensive, city. Her only examples of the "budget" were using bare bulbs and building a closet.

The critics didn't say the place wasn't nice. It's nice. But it would have been much more appropriate for the owner to say she "spent below her means" than to pretend like she ingeniously scrapped the place together.

Full house tour please!

Love, love, LOVE!!! Candace, where in Hong Kong do you live? I live in SoHo and would love to have a space like this.

So beautiful. I love your space. I don't care how much it cost you or didn't cost you. Good style is Good style!!!

love the white!!
love the closet!! where did you buy them in hong kong?

Candace, I live in Hong Kong too! Could you recommend some sources for clean furniture like yours? I can't handle all the heavy dark-hued wooden furniture they have here :)

I especially like the lamp!

Okay, two things:

First, transforming a commercial space for residential use in Hong Kong is not illegal as long as you have a permit from the Buildings Department. It has happened and is still happening, as owners of former factory buildings cash in on the booming property market (yes, it is booming in Hong Kong, unlike in much of the rest of the world). Renters love them: they get space and a cheaper rent. The downside: they're usually not centrally located. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Candace's digs are in New Territories, or in the fringes of Kowloon or Hong Kong Island.

Second, "shoestring" is relative, people. Hong Kong has one of the highest standards AND costs of living on earth, so to do something like what Candace has done for her walk-in closet and lighting could well qualify as shoestring. Besides, if her pieces of furniture are Chinese-made replicas, then they shouldn't cost too much. You can get the Eames LCW and rocker chair in Hong Kong for US$130 and US$65, respectively.

I have to say this is not my my style, but what Candace has accomplished is truly remarkable and one for the design books. It deserves a full house tour.

I have to echo all of those who love the floor, and would love to hear more about the materials used to make it! It complements the monochrome, minimalist furniture so well--really makes the difference between classy and stark for me.

@edmarch - approval is not given on an individual unit basis - the whole building needs to convert from commercial to residential...as I said, it can be worked around if 30% of the space is dedicated to storage for business purposes - or you can always say the unit is primarily your office. Lets be honest - if was easy, we would all be at it.

As for a house tour - I think we have seen it all. From the master image, there doesn't appear to be much more.

I've discovered that there is very little one cannot do with steel pipes and fittings from the hardware store. It was very nice to see them so seamlessly integrated into an existing design scheme--that's usually the big challenge. That, and curves.

I echo what others say about the floor. But I also simply am dying to know what color the wall paint is. Please.....

I'm salivating ova heah! Gorgeous pad, girl! I love the monochromatic-ness of the space but I would love to throw some pink or aqua blue accessories around the room(s). Nevertheless, I love it!

http://grlwhimsy.blogspot.com

i want your shoestring! heheh...its all relative. the space is impressively unified and so classy. wonderful!!

great job!

I like the wood/plastic/metal contrast in your color scheme. That sofa looks perfect there too.

I wasn't too crazy about the floors, but otherwise I like the clean lines and the brightness of it. I must say, I'm kinda getting tired of the skull & antler accents I've been seeing.

that floor!

the computer in the closet reminds me of Cher's outfit deciding program in Clueless :D

i wanted to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments. i also feel compelled to let you know it really was a budget & diy renovation. I design interiors in Hong Kong so I know what things can cost here.

- i used aluminum pipes to hang my curtains and painted them myself.
- I sewed the curtains from salvaged fabric bought in a chinese market
- the mattress was $40USD on craigslist, there is no frame
- the work desk is a piece of cut glass (about $30USD) and 2 stools I found abandoned and painted
- the pendant lights are about $15USD. each they are made of aluminum and i painted them white
- the closet is made from painted pipes and 4 ikea shelves
- the table is scrap wood I had a carpenter assemble
- kitchen shelves are ikea
- all appliances are second hand from craigslist
- dining chairs are replicas for about $60/piece
- the artwork and rest of the furnishing are flea market finds ive collected

Thanks for the information Candace...but please tell us how the floors are done.
Thanks

the floors are a white concrete base. with grey powder thrown on to create the color variations. then a few coats of lacquer.