If you’re wondering if you can furnish an apartment before you even arrive in Hong Kong, the answer is yes, absolutely! With a confirmed address, floor plan, measurements, photos, and an idea of the look you’re going for, The Editors Company can help. 

For many people relocating to Hong Kong, a serviced apartment feels like the obvious first step. It gives you somewhere to stay while you find your feet. But if you already know where you will be living, it can also mean an extra move, extra admin and a longer wait before life starts to feel settled.

A remote home setup offers another route. Instead of moving into a temporary apartment, then moving again once your own place is ready, you can prepare your actual home in advance. Beds, seating, dining, storage, lighting and styling details can be chosen for your real apartment, your routine and the way you want to live in Hong Kong.

At The Editors Company, we help relocating clients set up homes before they arrive, with home styling support that covers layout, sourcing, coordination and the final details that make a space feel personal and ready for real life.

Home styled by The Editors Company

When does it make sense to furnish before you arrive?

Furnishing your apartment before arrival makes the most sense when your rental is already confirmed and your arrival timeline is clear.

It can be especially helpful if you are:

• Relocating to Hong Kong for work
• Moving with children
• Starting a new role soon after landing
• Arriving close to the school term
• Setting up from another time zone
• Trying to avoid moving twice
• Short on time to shop, compare and coordinate everything yourself

The key difference is certainty. If you are still searching for a flat, a serviced apartment may give you useful breathing room. But if your lease is signed, a remote setup can help you make better use of the time before arrival.

Rather than waiting until you land to make every decision, you can begin shaping your home now!

Serviced apartment or remote home setup?

A serviced apartment gives you somewhere temporary to stay. A remote home setup helps you move directly into a home you can call your own.

Both can be useful, but they solve different problems.

A serviced apartment may work well if your plans are uncertain, your lease has not started, or you need a short-term base while viewing homes. It gives you flexibility, but it can also delay the moment when your actual home starts feeling settled.

Remote setup is different. It focuses on the apartment you will actually live in. The layout, pieces and details are planned around your own rooms, not a temporary space.

For families, this can make a big difference. Children can settle into their own bedrooms sooner. Daily routines can start in the place you will be living long-term. There is no second move waiting in the background.

For busy professionals, it can also reduce the amount of life admin that lands immediately after arrival. Instead of spending evenings measuring rooms and weekends looking for basics, the main decisions have already been handled.

A serviced apartment gives you a pause. A remotely prepared home gives you a head start.

Home styled by The Editors Company

What can be arranged before you land?

Once your apartment is confirmed, a surprising amount can be planned before you arrive.

This might include the larger pieces, such as beds, seating, dining pieces and storage. It can also include the softer details that make a rental feel less blank, such as rugs, lamps, art, cushions, mirrors and practical accessories.

The important thing is not just choosing items. It is choosing the right items for that apartment.

A narrow living room may need a slimmer sofa and a different table shape. A bedroom may need storage that works harder. A dining area may need to double as a homework or work-from-home zone. A compact entryway may need a small but considered setup so bags, shoes and keys have somewhere to go.

When these decisions are made together, the apartment feels more connected from the start.

What remote home styling includes

Remote home styling is a practical way to make home decisions before you are physically in Hong Kong.

The process usually starts with the details of the apartment: floor plans, photos, videos, room measurements, building information and your move-in timeline. From there, The Editors Company can help create a clear direction for the space.

Depending on the project, this may include:

• Room layout planning
• Sourcing key pieces
• Selecting lighting, rugs, art and decor
• Planning storage
• Coordinating orders and deliveries
• Styling the final details
• Blending existing pieces with new items
• Keeping choices rental-friendly where needed

This is home styling, not renovation. The focus is on helping the apartment feel finished, practical and personal without taking on major works.

Home styled by The Editors Company

Why setting up your actual apartment feels different

A serviced apartment is designed to work for many people. Your home should work for you.

That is the main benefit of setting up your own apartment before you arrive. The space can be planned around your real routine.

If you have children, bedrooms can be set up with sleep, storage and study in mind. If you work from home, your desk area can be placed where it actually makes sense. If you entertain, the living and dining areas can be arranged to feel comfortable rather than improvised.

The details also matter.

A lamp beside the bed. A rug that softens the living area. Art that makes white walls feel less temporary. Storage that stops the entryway from becoming a daily pile-up. These are not huge changes, but they are often what make the difference between a flat you are staying in and a home you feel settled in.

What information do you need to start?

To start planning before arrival, you do not need all the answers, but a few details make the process much smoother.

It helps to have:

• A confirmed apartment
• Floor plan
• Photos or videos
• Key room measurements
• Move-in date
• Budget range
• Details of anything you are bringing
• Notes on your routine and priorities
• Any known rental restrictions
• Access for deliveries or setup

If something is missing, that can usually be worked through! Part of the value of turnkey home styling support is that we’re on-site in Hong Kong and can lend a hand!

Home styled by The Editors Company

How early should you start?

The best time to start is once your apartment is confirmed and the lease is signed!

At that point, decisions can be based on the home’s actual layout and scale. Starting earlier can be useful for style direction and general planning, but sourcing specific pieces is much easier once the rooms are known.

A longer lead time gives more choice and more flexibility. It can help avoid rushed purchases and make coordination smoother. But even with a shorter timeline, a clear plan can help prioritise what matters most before arrival.

The first priority is usually the livable layer: somewhere to sleep, sit, eat, work and store everyday things. After that, the styling details can bring in personality and make the apartment feel more finished.

What should not be rushed?

When setting up from overseas, the temptation is to solve everything quickly. But some decisions are worth slowing down.

Large pieces need careful checking. Sofas, dining tables, bed frames and storage pieces should be chosen with measurements, room flow and building access in mind. Buying something because it is available quickly can create problems later if it does not suit the space.

The same goes for style decisions. It is easy to order lots of separate pieces that look fine individually, but do not quite work together once they arrive.

With The Editors Company, a good turnkey remote setup means you avoid this entirely. It gives the apartment a clear direction, so each decision supports the whole home rather than becoming a one-off purchase.

Can this work for a rental apartment?

Yes, you don’t have to own the apartment. We largely work with rentals, and therefore deliver rental-friendly home styling solutions!

Many Hong Kong rentals start as plain white boxes, sometimes with basic finishes and limited personality. That does not mean they need major changes. It means the styling choices need to work harder.

Rugs, lamps, mirrors, art, textiles, storage pieces and well-chosen decor can all make a rental feel more personal. These are also easier to adjust or take with you when you move again.

Where landlord approval is needed, it is best to check before making changes. But a rental can still feel considered, comfortable and like yours without relying on renovation.

Home styled by The Editors Company

How The Editors Company helps

The Editors Company helps people in and coming to Hong Kong design, source and style homes that feel personal, practical and easy to live in.

For clients relocating from overseas, we can support the process remotely. We help turn floor plans, photos and preferences into a clear styling plan, then source the pieces and details that make the apartment feel pulled together.

This is especially useful if you have taste, but not the time or local knowledge to manage every decision from afar. You may know the kind of home you want. You may even have the Pinterest board ready. What you may not have is the bandwidth to measure, compare, order, coordinate and style everything while also moving country.

That is where we come in. We help with the legwork, so your home feels ready sooner.

Is furnishing before arrival right for you?

Furnishing before arrival is a good fit if you already have a Hong Kong apartment confirmed and want to avoid a temporary stage.

It is particularly useful if you want to:

• Move straight into your own home
• Avoid spending weeks or months in a serviced apartment
• Reduce the number of moves
• Settle children faster
• Start work without home setup taking over your evenings
• Make a rental feel personal from the beginning
• Have support with sourcing and coordination
• Arrive at a home that feels functional, not half-finished

It may not be the right route if you are still deciding where to live or need flexibility before committing to a neighbourhood or lease. In that case, a serviced apartment may still make sense as a temporary base.

The main question is simple: do you already know where home will be?

If yes, setting it up before you arrive can make the move feel much easier.

Take our home style quiz to get started

If your Hong Kong apartment is confirmed and you want to explore remote setup, start with our home style quiz. It helps us understand the look and feel you are drawn to, from colours and materials to the overall mood you want for your space. 

From there, we can help turn that direction into a home that feels personal, practical and ready when you land.

Take our free quiz!

Home styled by The Editors Company

FAQs

Can I furnish an apartment before I arrive in Hong Kong?

Yes, if your rental is confirmed and you have a floor plan, photos and measurements, you can start planning and sourcing before you arrive.

Is remote home setup an alternative to a serviced apartment?

Yes it can be, if you already have a rental confirmed. Instead of staying somewhere temporary first, remote setup helps you move straight into your own home.

What does The Editors Company help with?

The Editors Company helps with home styling, layout planning, sourcing, storage, lighting, decor, delivery coordination and finishing touches.

Is this suitable for expats relocating to Hong Kong?

Yes, our service is especially useful for expats, families and busy professionals who want their home ready sooner after arrival.

Home styled by The Editors Company

Do I need to be in Hong Kong?

No, you don’t have to be in Hong Kong yet; all of the planning can be done remotely using floor plans, photos, videos, measurements and online communication.

How early should I start?

Start once your apartment is confirmed and you’ve confirmed the lease! A longer lead time gives more options, but a clear plan can still help if your move is happening quickly.

Can you work with the items and homeware I am shipping?

Of course, we can! Existing or shipped pieces can be included in the styling plan, then blended with locally sourced items. We’ll ask you to send pictures and measurements so we can ensure it all fits together.

Is this interior design or home styling?

The Editors Company focuses on home styling. That means layout, sourcing, decor, storage, lighting, soft furnishings and finishing touches rather than full-scale renovation or construction for say built-in closets.

Think of it as anything that can move with you from apartment to apartment.