Tuve Hong Kong by Design Systems

In every city, the real gems are hidden away.

A black tower stands out against the series of residential grey buildings in Hong Kong’s Tin Hau district like a thin shadow stretching to the sky. Sleek and modern, untouched in its stark magnificence, the tall construction clashes with the municipal-style architecture of the surroundings. Behind the heavy black door with a beautiful rusted patina, tune hides its rough splendor.

Guided by floor lights, guests venture into a cavernous corridor to arrive in the lobby. Striped shadows produced by vertical slats fall upon the grey grain of white marble floors, drawing an irregular circle around the wonderfully aged brass counter. Designed by the local firm DESIGN SYSTEMS, TUVE was inspired by the hotelier’s fascination with a photographic series of swedish lake TUVE by KIM HØLTERMAND. The abstract reflections within the water and the ephemeral morning fog suggested a parallel world of tranquility and fleeting emotions, which eventually were translated into tangible materials.

War carbon, brass, marble, granite, oak, glass in their purest quality were used to create a sense of primitive belonging, putting the travelers in contact with bare beauty of nature unusual swirls in the stone and gold flecked crevices in the concrete express and ideal of understated luxury that celebrates the appreciation of small details and the elegance of imperfections. In the context , exposed hooks and handles, utilitarian boxes that turn into desks and industrial cabinets define TUVE’s brutalism/minimalist aesthetic.

DESIGN SYSTEMS put together and extremely refined palette of materials and textures that bear a story, such as stones and marbles used in the bathroom, hand-picked by the owner to reproduce the flowing motif of ancient Chinese paintings.

The hotel is shaped by an harmonious interplay of contrasts, hence light and shadow have exceptional importance, strategically balanced to create a suggestive atmosphere, while highlighting the outstanding quality of the primal element. Everything at TUVE is perfect in its irregularity, such as little cracks on the walls and brass that ensure that no two rooms are alike.

Celebrating simplicity and mystery, TUVE welcomes guests in a sensorial universe of unique charme.

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by CECILIA MUSMECI