Mini Spa – A novel home spa concept curated by COLOURLIVING and Architect Gary Chang

With a shared vision to integrate a spa experience into the bathroom, COLOURLIVING has teamed up with Hong Kong-based award-winning architect Gary Chang to develop the Mini Spa, a personalised home spa concept for urban dwellers.

How can we transform modern bathrooms into a private wellness sanctuary other than just a place for daily rituals? This intriguing thought has brought COLOURLIVING and Gary Chang together on a mission to realise the idea of home spa when the bathroom becomes a place for open enjoyment of a living experience for homeowners and, as such, a space to unwind and restore.

Renowned for clever interpretation of compact spaces, Chang perfectly channelled his expertise in his 344-sqft apartment where he made the best use of space by using a sliding wall system for maximum flexibility. His philosophy of transformed domesticity is again the focal point of Apple TV+’s just-debuted Home series in which he famously showcases his forward-thinking and efficient utilisation of space by transforming his micro-apartment with endless movability.

While people in Hong Kong tend to focus a lot in the kitchen, Chang advises that it’s about time to rethink the role of the bathroom and its endless possibilities. “Bathroom shouldn’t be just functional. It should engage with other aspects of life. Treating it as a mini spa is an effective way to interpret limited space,” says Chang.

The Mini Spa is rendered in a dark palette to take away to focus on the materials used.
The bathing experience made up of Aquamoon shower system and Hinokisoken’s round O-Bath is central to the Mini Spa concept

Chang, the mastermind behind the interior design of the recently launched MoMA Design Store at K11 MUSEA, believes that the Mini Spa should go “beyond the basic function of a bathroom”. “If you got a mini spa at your home, can you imagine what an ideal lifestyle [it] will be by going to a spa as a daily ritual at your home space,” he says.

The central idea of the Mini Spa is to subdivide the space into wet and dry zones. Aquamoon, Dornbracht’s extravagant waterfall shower system that offers unparalleled water experience and merges invisibly with the spa interior, is the centrepiece of the whole concept. Completing the wet zone are a heated ceramic lounge chair by Sommerhuber, Dornbracht’s Aquapressure therapeutic massaging wall showering unit, and Hinokisoken’s generous O-Bath round wooden bath – a special feature inspired by Japanese onsen and bathing culture.

Gary Chang, “The epitome of Mini Spa is about the state of mind you could have within a very abstract environment.”
Aquamoon seamlessly integrates into its surroundings and merges with the spa interior

Chang also draws from his personal experience when conceiving the home spa. “I’ve turned my home into a mini spa through the inspiration from my frequent travels to Japan, Turkey and even Russia. And all these elements have directly and indirectly affected my way of life which I have reflected into making a mini spa at home.”

While all the amenities and equipment enhance the enjoyment of the users, an overall ambience is essential to create a holistic experience through lighting effects, use of natural light, placement of skincare products and most importantly, the element of background sound or music that is enough to encourage users to linger in.

The Aquapressure wall shower system reinvigorates the body with its water therapy
The Sommerhuber heated lounger created from ergonomically-formed ceramic has a contemporary, linear design

Still, Chang’s concept of a home spa is intentionally abstract, fuelled by a general dark palette throughout the entire space and a lack of focus on the use of materials. Chang hopes users can focus on the state of mind as if immersing in an ordinary spa environment. This is further propelled by a recurring theme from his repertoire – cloud patterns. “A true spa experience should not be bounded by the physical surroundings. That’s why I’m introducing the cloud. I never get bored from its everchanging nature. I took reference images of the cloud and applied to the environment to create a sensual background.” He opts for Italian stonemaker Antolini’s black stone slabs for the floor that matches perfectly with and complement the cloud-patterned panels.

Gary Chang is inspired by Japanese onsen culture for adopting Hinokisoken’s round O-Bath
Antolini’s natural stone echoes with Chang’s infinite cloud-patterned wall panels

When asked the type of experience he hopes to bring to the users, Chang says, “This collaboration with COLOURLIVING is a very unique experience. It’s a chance for us to work together with like-minded people to come up with an interesting objective that gives people better use of resources and space in our home.”

Chang’s Mini Spa concept will soon be turned into a virtual space. Stay tuned for more details.