A Grand Design: Welcome To One Toscana!
Updated: Sep 29
Brand-new one- to four-bedroom units make their debut at One Toscana, DB’s latest landmark development, where thoughtful home staging meets prestige sea, mountain and park views. Martin Wray reports
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrew J.C. Spires & courtesy of HKRI
Sunlight, ocean and an unobstructed view of Victoria Harbour provide a heart-quickening first impression of the on-site unit at One Toscana 2, where my tour of DB’s newly launched Toscana project begins. As my heart settles, other details come into focus: high ceilings, cinematic curved windows and all the luxury an imaginative interior designer can create with over 1,700 square feet.
Only 14 of these four-bedroom, three-ensuite units exist. Occupying an entire floor and accessed by a private lift lobby, they offer a degree of privacy that is increasingly difficult to find. The living and dining room stretches more than 9.5 metres, opening onto a generous 3-in-1 balcony through large sliding glass doors. Beyond, the harbour view takes centre stage.
The master bedroom enjoys the same outlook, framed by those distinctive curved windows. In the ensuite, a bathtub sits against a picture window, while his-and-hers sinks add a practical touch. The flat also includes an enclosed kitchen with a double sink and built-in wine fridge.
The large sea-view units are just one part of the Toscana offering. Across the two phases, One Toscana delivers one- to four-bedroom homes ranging from 425 to 1,683 square feet. The variety makes the development relevant to a broad mix of residents, from single buyers and young families to those looking for an investment property.
From a flat overlooking Park Toscana, I am surprised by the sheer scale of the development. The Toscana masterplan calls for around 1,400 units built across 650,000 square feet of land, an area larger than Hong Kong Stadium. Today, 490 units are being offered across the two phases.
One Toscana offers views over the park or the facing hillside, plus beautiful sea vistas. The more premium One Toscana 2 includes these outlooks, alongside dramatic, unobstructed views of the Victoria Harbour Gateway, framed by the iconic landmarks of Central and West Kowloon.
Inside, the homes share a set of thoughtful features: extra-tall windows, glass-railed balconies, air-conditioning, built-in induction hobs, combination steam ovens and refrigerators. Most units have unusually high ceilings, with some reaching more than 3.4 metres floor-to-floor. Stylish French kitchen appliances by De Dietrich are paired with sanitary ware from VADO (UK), and Duravit and Bette (Germany).
The interiors of the staged homes offer a different perspective on the development, showing how the spaces might work in everyday life.
In Flat D, 11/F, Tower 9, a three-bedroom home with one ensuite, the designers have adopted the increasingly popular Japandi aesthetic, uniting the tranquillity of Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ with minimalist Nordic design.
Timber furniture and soft, natural tones give the living room and master bedroom a warm, relaxed feel. Bedroom 2 continues the theme with a tea corner, ink-wash paintings and calligraphy, creating a calming backdrop for quiet moments. The third bedroom is designed as a parent-child ‘play and study space’, with room for children to read, create and grow. Together with the greenery outside the window, it feels like a space that could evolve with a family.
The two-bedroom Flat C, 11/F, Tower 9 takes a different approach. Designed around the idea of a relaxed, multi-functional home, it reflects the way younger families are using their living spaces. The living room has been transformed into a cat haven, with multi-level catwalks, climbing frames and play features. The master bedroom functions as a KOL live-streaming studio, while the second bedroom doubles as a home gym, complete with fitness, yoga and ball-game equipment, reflecting DB’s healthy living ethos.
These staged homes are, of course, carefully designed to demonstrate what is possible. But the wider Toscana project has implications beyond the individual apartments. For existing DB residents, the development brings a number of positive changes to the neighbourhood.
On the infrastructure level, we are already benefiting. Exhibit 1) the HK$80 million redevelopment of both ferry piers; Exhibit 2) a new covered escalator running alongside the inclined elevator at DB North; and the big surprise (for me): Exhibit 3) Discovery Bay Sports Club, a multi-recreation centre coming up beside the reservoir.
Due for completion in 2027, Discovery Bay Sports Club is planned to include a pickleball court, greenhouse farm, rock-climbing walls, skate park, camping area and restaurant. For those curious, a scale model is on display in the Toscana Sales Gallery.
Another scale model to check out shows DB Times Square, the proposed transport interchange complex across from Auberge Discovery Bay. The government has approved its construction and according to the developer, the project will provide parking for over 160 vehicles.
The changes are not limited to infrastructure. On an aesthetic level, the Toscana development has already beautified the area leading into the tunnel toward DB North Plaza. This includes bonsai-like flowering trees and an upgrade to the landscaped gardens at the roundabout near Chianti bus stop. A new brick path leads up from there into Park Toscana.
With each new proper ty development phase, DB residents get a new park. This includes Caperidge’s Peninsula Garden and Siena’s Central Park. And now, Park Toscana, a 160,000-square-foot greenspace designed by Adrian L. Norman. The park features streams and water features, walking trails, sitting-out areas, outdoor exercise stations, art installations, grassy fields and children’s playgrounds. The outdoor spaces are Wi-Fi enabled, and there is also an indoor wellness area. But my favourite feature is the greenery.
Living in a subtropical climate, it is easy to take a well-maintained landscape for granted. But in DB, every tree, flower and blade of grass was planned before being planted. DB has always had excellent gardeners who conscientiously maintain this foliage long after the sales push and who deserve credit for the postcard-perfect gardens they maintain. Our home is, after all, a manicured urban space, and has been since long before phases began being named after regions in Italy.
The Italian influence at DB predates One Toscana by decades, but it is the first phase to take a single region (Toscana is the Italian name for Tuscany) and follow it all the way through to the marble, the arches and the planting.
The Toscana Sales Gallery, designed by ARTTA Concept Studio, sits at the top of the DB North Plaza escalator. There, they have recreated a Tuscan home in limestone, Italian marble and bronze, with signature arched windows and doorways that reference Renaissance architecture. Visit to enjoy regular events, like Tuscan wine tasting experiences, and to see models of Park Toscana, Discovery Bay Sports Club and DB Times Square. After that, check out an on-site unit, stroll the park and imagine you are in Tuscany.
