Monochrome scheme doesn’t have to be boring, and this 700-square-foot apartment in Taikoo Shing by Pexel Interior Design is a case in point. A monochrome scheme doesn’t have to be boring, and this 700-square-foot apartment in Taikoo Shing, by Pexel Interior Design, is a case in point. The homeowners, a family of five, wanted darker tones, but were worried about making the space feel cramped. Designers Perry Wong and Elvis Lam solved this by using different textures and smart lighting instead of bright colours. The family also needed lots of storage, so Wong completely changed the layout, removing walls and reorganising the entire space. “We kept things simple, but not plain,” Wong says. “We used different shades of grey as our base, then added texture through materials. The floors are Italian tiles with grey stone patterns. We paired these with dark brown wood and natural stone. The cabinet handles are bronze steel, which adds some contrast.” The original three-bedroom, two-bathroom set-up became four bedrooms. The closed kitchen is now semi-open, with a storage room added next to it. The master and helper bathrooms were combined into one larger master bathroom. The other bathroom got a separate shower. The designer used built-in wardrobes as room dividers instead of walls. This saved space and provided extra storage. The living and dining areas don’t have main ceiling lights. Instead, there are light coves in the ceiling that create layers of light and shadow. This prevented the grey colour scheme from looking flat. Storage rooms are hidden behind wood panels with concealed doors. The hallway has hidden panels with wallpaper accents. The semi-open kitchen is the main feature. It has black steel frames with grey glass sliding doors. The design looks clean without being heavy. “The layout design makes both the living area and kitchen feel bigger,” Lam explains. “We added hanging sliding doors to bring natural light from the living room into the kitchen. This keeps it bright while maintaining the monochrome look.” Each bedroom is different, but follows the same colour scheme. The master bedroom uses darker greys and has a full-height headboard with geometric fabric from Belgium. The children’s room uses lighter greys. It has a storage platform with built-in lighting. The multipurpose room has a bed that combines with a desk and bookshelf to save space. Using wardrobes as room dividers was one of the project’s key features. “This saved construction costs and maximised storage. The wardrobes are shared between rooms, which gave us more storage while keeping the space open.”