BY LOUISE CHEN

Originally published: July 30, 2010

http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/features/article/34867-a-luxury-shoebox-apartment-draws-the-spotlight-in-hong-kong

Hong Kong is a notoriously tightly packed city, but architect Gary Chang has devised a way to stretch out and relax — even if you live in a 330-square-foot studio.

Nicknamed “Domestic Transformer,” Chang's redesigned apartment of those measurements can morph into 24 domestic configurations through the use of sliding steel walls, which with a push reshape the space into a dining room, a yoga studio, a home theater, or other desirable spaces. The furniture is either foldable or hidden between the walls, which themselves are embedded with closets and storage shelves. With yellow-tinted, light-absorbing French windows and a large reflecting mirror masking the sliding tracks on the ceiling, the apartment always seems drenched in warm natural sunlight — an eco-friendly touch that allows inhabitants to forgo electric lights for much of the day.

In a densely populated city, the most precious commodity is space. Growing up in mountainous Hong Kong, Chang learned how to cope with tight space long before studying architecture — he grew up in the apartment's tight quarters with his parents and sisters, sleeping in the living room. After graduating from architecture school, he returned to remodel the space with his economical designs. Now, after his family has moved out, he has chosen to remain in his tiny home. “I’m always here, I don’t move but the house moves,” Chang says in the video below.

Chang’s design offers both efficiency and livability — a combination not to be underestimated in a world with diminishing resources.

BY LOUISE CHEN

Originally published: June 14, 2010

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/34904/a-feast-by-french-culinary-legend-escoffier-wings-to-hong-kong/

Hong Kong is always a culinary destination, but later this month it will offer a gustatory experience notable both for its historic nature and the fact that it's not Chinese in the least: the recreation of a 12-course banquet that legendary chef Auguste Escoffier originally served at the Hôtel Ritz Paris over than a century ago. The menu will be resurrected for one night only at the luxurious Hullet House hotels St. George restaurant on June 26.

This gourmet event is being held to celebrate the restaurant location's 110th birthday. Priced at HK$1,888 ($242) per person, the banquet will feature such dated delicacies as Suprème de Vollaile aux Artichauts (chicken supreme with artichokes), Pommes nouvelles (new potatoes), and Cœurs de Romaine (hearts of romaine), which are the dishes that have so far been revealed.

When directing the Ritz's restaurant in the early 20th century, chef Escoffier not only gained a worldwide reputation for haute cuisine, but also transformed the modern day culinary profession. Among his many notable achievements are the invention of the first la carte menu, the reorganization of the professional kitchen, and the simplification of the menu format.

Though only founded in 2007, Hullet House occupies the former 19th-century headquarters of the British marine police, which is one of the four oldest buildings in Hong Kong’s 1881 Heritage area, a focus of the city’s project to revitalize historic neighborhoods. The design of the building takes cues from Chinese imperial architecture and English country house, offering magnificent views of Victoria Harbor from private suite balconies. It had been going through major renovation since 2002.

The feast is the latest effort by hotel owners David Yeo and Iain Ward — a historian and ex-mariner respectively — to channel old Hong Kong's colonial charm.