LOOK: This Hong Kong ‘mall’ is a must-visit for its droolworthy design

K11 Musea is a 'cultural-retail destination' and a 'museum-worthy landmark' worth including in your itinerary


In a place where malls are aplenty; where each new one “outsmarts” the others by having more brands, features, dining concepts, green spaces, and design trends, there is one, in my opinion, that stands out among the rest — K11 Musea. 

K11 Musea, just along the Victoria Dockside where the popular Avenue of Stars is located (at the southern tip of Tsim Sha Tsui), faces the Victoria Harbor and provides the quintessential Hong Kong view that generations of tourists have come to love and associate the city with. 

I’ve been to Hong Kong several times and malls, whether you are a shopper or not, are something that you couldn't avoid. Malls have access to the MTR stations and make the HK (shopping) experience complete. Through time, however, I’ve noticed that these malls come in a certain “pattern” — parking spaces and supermarket in the multiple basements, luxury brands/ food concepts on the ground floor, fashion outlets on the second level, gadget and lifestyle shops on the third, peppered with restaurants or coffee shops here and there, and a podium somewhere that has an open space or greenery to achieve a “balanced” look.  

But K11 Musea, which opened in 2019, broke the mold, so to speak, as it dubbed itself as a “cultural-retail destination” and a “museum-worthy landmark.” It is more than a mall as the retail and gastronomy part is just a side of it, with more spaces allocated for art, culture, and nature. 

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Photo from K11 Musea

I wasn’t able to visit K11 Musea when it opened but it was always on my mind ever since its grand opening and pictures of its exterior and interior designs surfaced online. It wowed the architectural world. I vowed to visit as soon as travel restrictions in Hong Kong were lifted. 

Searching for K11 Musea was easy — accessible, too, via the MTR. Walking along the Avenue of Stars, I was welcomed with a cool breeze during that afternoon. K11 Musea loomed from afar and one will instantly recognize this landmark with its distinct exterior. Photos do not give justice to the building design; you have to see it for yourself! One of my companions described it as a “futuristic Hanging Gardens of Babylon,” owing to the green walls and green terraces that line the exterior, which was clad in Portuguese limestone. It was grand, green, and great! 

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Photos by the author

There were so many “things” going on on the exterior, but it somehow made sense, and was seamless as your eyes continue to observe; from below looking upward, you feel how the exterior “moved” like the waves of the Victoria Harbor. After all, K11 Musea derived its name from “muse by the sea.”

Entering K11 Musea was an experience in itself. For someone like me who has entered architectural wonders as part of work, it's seldom that I am amazed by a mall. But this was something else. I used the term “droolworthy” in the headline of this article, and it's the most appropriate. That adjective stuck in my head as I saw dozens of people craning their necks to look up, mouths agape, to savor the design buffet presented by K11 Musea’s main atrium. 

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Based on a press statement, K11 Musea’s atrium is called the “Opera Theatre,” where natural light peers through a 35-meter high Oculus, down to a centerpiece known as the “Gold Ball.” This was described as the “beating heart of this muse by the sea” and a “multidimensional architectural feature that doubles as a versatile creative space.” Since when did a mall stroll become a night at the opera? It’s now here inside K11 Musea. 

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Photo from K11 Musea

“Fluidity” permeated all around the interior. There were hand-painted aluminum panels in wave and circular forms, mimicking the flow of water toward one destination. Then I noticed a section of the ceilings filled with dotted patterns, like those seen in corals. The inspiration of corals was also seen in the “aquarium-type” benches.  

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The 10-story complex was vast with a healthy mix of businesses (and gastronomic concepts) with commercial and artistic leanings. Every nook and cranny was IG worthy, even the elevators and escalator areas.

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There was also playfulness in the interior design, with splashes of color here and there; an abstract painting on a bare wall, violet ceiling lights, more green walls, etc. 

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According to its website, K11 Musea is “designed to enrich the new consumer’s daily life through the power of creativity, culture, and innovation.” I couldn’t agree more. 

“A destination 10 years in the making, K11 MUSEA was crafted by renowned entrepreneur Adrian Cheng together with 100 Creative Powers, a roster of more than 100 international architects, artists, and designers who sought to create the ultimate space for all to embark on a ‘journey of imagination.’”

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Art is a major part of K11 Musea. You could visit here the MoMA Design Store (its largest in Asia), art galleries, and spaces for events and entertainment. I haven’t mentioned its gardens and child-friendly spaces — and yes, its bevy of trendy coffee shops and restaurants. I’ve barely scratched the surface, but I hope this gives you a preview and encourages you to drop by what some people may call a mall or a museum or both — but definitely a marvel — by the sea.