Skip to main content

Hong Kong's Eco Smart Home packs luxury living into a mere 400 square feet

As anyone who’s ever rented a studio apartment can attest, a 400-square-foot living space leaves much to be desired. For one such studio apartment located in the Hong Kong business district of Central, utilizing a well-known local interior design firm was all that was required to turn 400 square feet of living space into a spacious, luxury smart home. Officially nicknamed the Eco Smart Home, design company Liquid Interiors took to the tall task of not just renovating said apartment but to minimize its footprint, integrate innovative sleep-wake cycles, and essentially bring it into the 21st century.

During the restoration process, Liquid Interiors concentrated solely on its client’s need for an environmentally friendly apartment that was capable of reducing as much exterior noise as possible. Considering one of the clients works as an airline pilot, achieving a high quality of sleep on a nightly basis was absolutely paramount. To pull off this request — in a typically noisy area of Hong Kong — Liquid Interiors made use of double-glazed windows to keep sound at a minimum and installed circadian lighting that mimics the sun’s color patterns. Additionally, complete blackout blinds were included to facilitate continued sleep while HEPA air purifiers and a high-quality mattress were added for increased comfort.

Liquid7
Liquid Interiors
Liquid Interiors

To achieve maximum space with the paltry 400 square feet, the design firm decided to include an array of hidden storage rooms geared with hydraulics and transforming furniture. Because of this, the client’s living room can quickly turn into a bedroom in part to a hidden TV wall. Even the apartment’s kitchen stove has the ability to be hidden when not in use, along with a carbon water filtration system. Couple this interior’s flexibility with the fact the space comes with an open air roof — of which Liquid Interiors also decked out (no pun intended) — and the typically small studio apartment feels a whole hell of a lot bigger than it should.

There’s no doubt Eco Smart Home shines aesthetically, but what about its contribution to the environment? To help reduce the apartment’s overall footprint, Liquid Interiors installed energy-saving LED lights, a heat pump, and expertly placed the area’s windows to achieve cross ventilation. Aside from these key add-ons, the company also installed a solar water heater capable of saving an estimated 87 percent on the client’s water-heating bill. Moreover, roughly half of the waste leftover from the tear down of the prior apartment was recycled and put to use during the remodel process. It goes without saying, but Liquid Interiors’ innovative studio apartment accurately lives up to its Eco Smart Home billing.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Stella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Kohler reveals luxurious smart home products that turn your bathroom into a spa
The Kohler Anthem+ on a white table.

Kohler showed off a bevy of new products at CES 2024, including a luxurious lineup of new smart home gadgets, all of which are designed to transform your bathroom into a "personal sanctuary." Along with updates to the Numi 2.0 smart toilet and high-end Stillness Bath, Kohler showed off a new fan, sink, and bidet, as well as smart valves and more.

The Anthem+ Digital Control was one of the most intriguing items at the Kohler booth, as can power nearly all aspects of your bathroom from a single control panel. Via its touch display, it allows you to control water, light, sound, and steam. All told, it can connect to 12 water outlets to power a variety of sprayers, showerheads, and body sprays.

Read more
Segway expands its smart home footprint with robot lawn mowers at CES 2024
The Segway i Series being set up.

Segway -- the company responsible for Paul Blart's preferred mode of transportation -- already has a surprisingly robust smart home lineup. The company expanded its catalog at CES 2024, revealing a new series of robot lawn mowers (Navimow i Series) and a new portable power station (Segway Cube Series).

The upcoming Navimow i Series makes a few big improvements over Segway's existing H Series. Along with the ability to work without wires (which are typically used to set boundaries for the robot), the i Series employs a technology known as the Exact Fusion Locating System (EFLS). Segway says this will let the robot lawn mower better track its location and ensure it's cutting your lawn as close to specifications as possible.

Read more
Samsung goes all-in with AI, reveals several new smart home appliances at CES 2024
The Samsung Bespoke AI Fridge from CES 2024.

Samsung unleashed a flurry of announcements at CES 2024, including several upcoming smart home appliances powered by AI. The lineup features an induction cooktop, washer and dryer combo, slide-in range, and refrigerator, all of which use new A.I. features to streamline your daily chores.

The Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator was among the first reveals, debuting ahead of CES 2024. Featuring the premium AI Family Hub+ and AI Vision Inside, the futuristic fridge can scan and identify 33 different types of food items and send you alerts before they expire.

Read more