The East-meets-West aesthetic was nothing new to Holloway Li’s China-born co-founder Na Li. “My personal approach to design and architecture has always originated from an interest in merging the East with the West, adopting modern techniques whilst expressing traditional meanings and philosophies,” she begins. So when she and partner Alex Holloway met their client, there was an instant and mutual understanding about capturing the two cultures in the design.

On a more prosaic front, the process began with an immersive trip to China, signalling the beginning of a steep learning curve for both. An awareness of the Chinoiserie so common in Edwardian design alongside the recognition of European influences found in the Forbidden City (Li cites the trompe l’oeil technique in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity’s Juan Qin room) were proof positive that design was fluid and independent of geography – to a degree.

“Design can be global and universal from a trend perspective but each design, especially residential design, should be unique and tailored to its context and individuals,” Li argues. The unique Eastern philosophies demanding representation within a Western structure are what make the flat so memorable.

Realising the design’s distinct cultural elements was a challenge in a Grade II-listed building subject to a stringent Listed Building Consent process. “Due to the limitation of rearranging the layout, we had to keep the kitchen to the rear end of the apartment, and have separate shower and wash rooms for the guest rooms,” explains Li. Air conditioning couldn’t be added, and the original windows had to be retained.

But the rules resulted in a functional, cross-cultural space with contemporary conveniences that never tips over into kitschy Chinoiserie. “We wouldn’t design in this way for somebody who didn’t have a connection to these elements – who had never been to or been influenced by China. This, we would consider to be appropriation,” says Holloway. “The Chinese elements that have been designed or adopted in this project are not direct replicas but reimagined interpretations that fit within the space and this context.”

Among those interpretations is that of the Confucian ideal of form and matter existing interdependently. In the living spaces, those concepts are manifest in rosewood bi-fold screens that connect dining and reception rooms with study areas where the art and antiques are displayed. And while Ming dynasty Yuan Ye thinking demands connections between adjacent rooms, complemented by screens, it also emphasises a balance between minimalism and extravagance, and downplays geometric absolutism. The shutters are intricately carved, yet the spaces they delineate are spare; the carvings on panelling are less straight, and new bespoke furniture and light fixtures are subtly rounded.

The nobility of the four arts – qin (music), qi (gaming), shu (calligraphy) and hua (painting) – define the dining room and study, the latter brought to life in meticulously placed bookshelves, desk and instrument stand, where screens help seamlessly toggle between the private and the social.

Stepping away from the ostensibly public spaces that highlight the calligraphy and art collection, the bedrooms allow detailing to take front and centre. Hand-crafted Chinoiserie wallpaper by De Gournay for a feature wall in the master suite serves as a reminder of the Western perceptions of the “Far East”, but is reinterpreted to feel more like a hybrid of the two. A four-poster bed swathed in deep greens is nearly royal, but adheres to Yuan Ye tenets dictating the sleeping area should be compact, private and subdued.

While the rooms look entirely Chinese to the untrained eye, the English accents are still there. Living, dining and bedroom ceilings retain original lath and plaster, the original fireplaces remain, along with those unalterable windows – which with new rosewood shutters, handmade in China, act as a secondary, soundproofing layer to the windows.

A final elegant touch comes from the original doors that were “traditionally … hung in opposite directions to nowadays for privacy reasons; when they swing open, one cannot see the inside directly, so we re-hung the doors to accommodate the modern lifestyle, which is much more open and welcoming”, notes Holloway. Veneer timber parquet, mosaic marble tiling in the entryway, herring bone patterning in showers and kitchen, and brass fixtures – over both Eastern and Western style basins – tie the two cultures together. The finished product ultimately is a comfortable and liveable home that reflects two distinct places. “It’s a cabinet”, says Li. “When you enter it, it’s full of surprises and curiosities.”

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