Everything in this architect's home is either recycled or repurposed

Wanting to preserve the environment, this architect designed a 1,300 sq ft apartment that’s filled with recycled or repurposed materials. To take a step further, he even set up his own rooftop vegetable garden. 

When couple Kevin Chu and Giulia Dibonaventura designed their 1,300-square-foot, two-storey apartment three years ago, they made sure that everything inside it was fake but sustainable. “The entire apartment uses materials that mimic their natural counterparts,” explained Chu, who is an architect and the founder of an eco-friendly multi-disciplinary design firm.

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Artificial granite or marble tiles sit in place of stone; tiles of recycled particle porcelain—made from compressed, ground down construction waste—cover the floors and walls while a bookshelf in the living room is made of Styrofoam. And what little natural material in the flat is either recycled or more responsible than your regular wood or stone.

Rather than stemming from the desire for a particular aesthetic—though the home is undeniably stylish—this decision speaks to the couple’s long-time dedication to sustainability. Dibonaventura grew up recycling and practising other environmentally friendly habits, and Chu has created sustainable designs since he was a student over 20 years ago. It was only logical for his firm to follow the same route too.

“When I see all this human-induced pollution and degradation destroying such a beautiful planet—and our and future generations’ health—I want to do something about it,” Chu said, explaining that his time as a diving instructor instilled in him a deep love of nature. “I’m also dissatisfied with the environmental movement, so my flat has become a testbed to show people that you can be environmentally conscious with some careful thinking.” 

The couple found the flat while searching for an adequate home to own, and were drawn by its closeness to nature, accessibility to the city centre, and its rooftop, where they set up a vegetable garden. Chu also enthused about the efficient use of space. “As an architect, my main concern is always to do with space rather than location or amenities,” he explained.

The apartment makes copious use of whites, browns and greys, with the occasional metallic or splash of bright colour and plenty of geometric shapes. “I always follow geometric, material and colour consistency in any project I tackle,” said Chu. “If you have a small space, having lots of colour or clutter inside an apartment can make it look claustrophobic.”

But a clean and minimal aesthetic doesn’t mean that you can’t make a statement. The master bedroom boasts a feature wall made of cork—“it replenishes much faster than normal trees”, Chu said—while a cluster of pendant lamps all in different shapes add interest in the dining area. “They’re made of compressed laser cut recycled cardboard panels,” revealed Chu. “Every client who has ever been to my house always says that they can’t believe how good they look.”

Much of the furnishings, meanwhile, come from overseas suppliers. “We simply couldn’t find what we wanted locally,” said Chu. Being appreciative of his wife’s taste and Italy’s history of fine design, Chu sourced many pieces from Italian outlets such as B&B Italia and Cassina. Now, Chu even works with many of these companies in order to sell their wares to designers and homeowners.