Mezza forte: Making the most of mezzanines

A Chai Wan warehouse conversion with three mezzanines has everything its owner needs for work and play

Published: 10:45pm, 7 Dec 2013

Robert Gilman played a waiting game for a year and a half before finally persuading the owner of a nondescript industrial space in Chai Wan to sell it to him. Having been forced to vacate “an incredible old apartment” on Tai Hang Road because his landlord wanted it back, Gilman was determined to acquire the cavernous 5,000 sq ft unit for a work and entertainment space that would supplement a home nearby.

Before receiving the keys, however, he had to wait an additional four months, to allow the seller time to find somewhere else.

That interlude allowed Gilman, the 52-year-old chief executive of a highend Italian fashion house, to set about redesigning the bare shell, despite having had no formal training other than the oversight of store makeovers for his group. He drew up plans for a unique sanctuary that makes the most of the 15- foot-high ceilings with three eye-catching mezzanine areas overlooking specially carved-out spaces. And those shop projects obviously taught him how to economise: the total cost for his warehouse conversion came in at HK$1.5 million, at the low end of his estimate.

The secret? “I sourced a lot from China myself,” says the Tunisian, who first came to the region 30 years ago, to study Chinese literature at Peking University.

“Most of the ‘heavy’ materials, such as windows, tiles and cabinets, come from Shenzhen, or Tmall, or Alibaba.

“I did it through the internet and it was fun, though it helps that I can speak and read Chinese.”

About HK$400,000 alone was saved by procuring from Shenzhen the “doubledouble- glazed” windows, as Gilman refers to them, which feature a soundproof layer.

One side of the huge living area comprises a stage; Gilman played bass guitar in the 1980s with mainland rock pioneer Cui Jian. Concealed underneath the stage are deep storage compartments on runners.

At the back of the living area is an industrial-style kitchen, incorporating a breakfast bar, plus an enclosed chill-out zone with a sitting area; one of the unit’s three bathrooms; and one of the mezzanines.

A corridor next to the kitchen leads to the office, which has its own mezzanine so Gilman can work downstairs while his girlfriend does so upstairs. Another enclosed crash space lies at the rear of the unit along with the third mezzanine, which houses Gilman’s many clothes.

Beneath this walk-in wardrobe is a homeentertainment room.

Walls and cabinetry throughout the unit feature vibrant splashes of cyclamen, egg-yolk yellow and violet, adding warmth and focal points. Quirky touches abound; in the living area, a bowl of old mobile phones is part of the decor and a life-sized sheep made from artificial flowers keeps a sofa company.

There are a few aspects that Gilman, who rents the unit out for television commercials, would have changed with the benefit of hindsight, the chief one being the choice of flooring for the mezzanine wardrobe.

“One of my biggest regrets is not having a metal floor. Being a musician, I’m very sensitive to noise quality and it’s made of wood and sounds cheap.”

And despite their visually slick impact, he says, the furnishings are not particularly lavish. “I’m not interested in being a collector at all. The most expensive things are the shoes and the clothes,” he says.

Gilman feels he’s accomplished what he set out to achieve, adding that it would have been easier to have done so in Paris, where he once lived.

“[There] you can easily find a beautiful, stylish place if you can afford it. In Hong Kong it’s much more difficult, [as is finding] somewhere this size.”

So would he advise others to design their own space?

“If you enjoy being part of a process, from design through to materials, and can be flexible, I’d say go for it.”

As for the unit’s location in industrial Chai Wan, he says it’s not as far-flung as some might imagine.

“I work in Quarry Bay. It’s seven minutes by car,” he says, then adds with a grin, “but by motorbike it’s only five.”

Living area The sofas were purchased from Armani Casa (www.armanicasa.com), in Italy, for about HK$60,000 each. The woollen rug, which accommodates a teak coffee table bought in Indonesia, came from The Carpet House in Kathmandu, Nepal (GPO: 1292, Pulchowk, tel: 977 1 555 1508) and cost about HK$10,000. The storage area under the stage was built by Vinoti (www.vinoti.com) for about HK$50,000. To the left of the stage is graffiti art by Robert Gilman, based on photographs of his head. To the right is an old Chinese movie poster (about 1,000 yuan/ HK$1,265) from a flea market in Shanghai. The red sculpture of a man, near the entrance, was bought for 3,250 yuan from the Dafen artists’ village in Shenzhen. Above the sculpture is an old advertisement for a shoe store in Buenos Aires, Argentina, bought at a flea market there. The ceiling lights were bought from Xin Liangdian Lighting (www.tmall.com) for about 700 yuan each.

Living area detail The chandelier (4,200 yuan) came from Quanqiu Lighting and was bought through www.alibaba.com. The Chesterfield sofa (7,500 yuan) was custom made with leather of Gilman’s choosing by Yifeng Furniture Store (www.tmall.com).

Work area The downstairs desk was made by Gilman using an oak frame topped by a medium-density fibreboard panel covered by a copper sheet. The legs are made from steel. The two birch chairs upstairs and downstairs were bought in Beijing more than 30 years ago. Upstairs, the desk was from Ikea (various locations; www.ikea.com.hk) and was bought long ago. The chaise longue came from a French furniture designer in a barter exchange. The paintings were bought directly from Chinese artist Chen Ming Feng, in Shenzhen (tel: 1353 409 9541).
Staircase to wardrobe The suitcase was bought from a Beijing Friendship Store more than 30 years ago. The rug (about HK$10,000) came from The Carpet House.

Kitchen The cupboard (on the left) is made of Chinese camphor wood, the odour of which is supposed to protect stored fabrics from insects. The sofa is made of pheasant wood. Both were bought in Beijing more than 30 years ago. The bicycles are by Rossignoli (www.rossignoli.it) and were bought from its Milan store. The birdcage light cost 1,600 yuan at Meiying Lighting in Shenzhen’s Youyiju Lighting City (szyyj.net). The kitchen cabinets and breakfast bar were made by a company whose name translates as “Dinner Kitchen Cabinet Chain Chain Store”, in Shenzhen, for 35,000 yuan. The oak kitchen table and chairs were bought in Beijing more than 30 years ago. The stools were from Hoxne (www.tmall.com) and were 285 yuan each. The wooden kitchen floor, made from extrawide solid oak on chipboard, was bought at Shenzhen Marco Wooden Industry (www.szmarco.net) for 340 yuan a square metre.
Crash-out zone (above right) Above a bathroom is one of three mezzanines. The rug was bought years ago in Argentina. The sofa was found on the street by Gilman’s son. The ceiling light came from the Designer Lighting Flagship store (www.tmall.com) and cost 1,600 yuan. The wooden flooring is the same as that used in the kitchen.

Entertainment room The deep sofa was bought from HC28 (16/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 2552 8002) for about HK$10,000. On the wall are pictures found in New York several years ago. The made-to-measure screen was 2,600 yuan at Digital Store (www.tmall.com).

Wardrobe The gilt mirror was bought in Wan Chai a long time ago. The dressing area, with storage space behind orange doors, was built by Vinoti for HK$50,000.

The tyre on the wall makes a quirky towel rail in one of the unit's three bathrooms. It was picked up from the pavement outside the building.

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