Sometimes clients ask a lot of their designers when it comes to 'making' space. In Angus Chan and Ian Scott's case, they wanted two bedrooms, somewhere else for guests to kip down, a work zone, two bathrooms, wet and dry kitchens off their living area and lots of room for storage. All in 914 square feet.
Their wishes were Johnny Li's command. A long-time friend, who knew the pair when they lived in the same block of flats in Mid-Levels, Li found the room needed by designing multi-purpose areas. Not only that but he created the kind of interior his clients enjoy in their favourite chic hotels around the world. It's a look that continues to wow four years later.
High on the must-have list for Chan, who works for an airline, were separate bathrooms for him and Scott. He also wanted a tub. Instead of installing one in the small en suite, Li reconfigured the room so that having a soak is now a spa-like indulgence in a tranquil, airy setting. To impart a sense of space, the bath was exposed to the bedroom and mirrors were installed above it to fool the eye into perceiving double-height ceilings. Serenity was introduced with sandstone surfaces and a false wall on one side to conceal windows and unsightly bathroom fixtures. A porthole allows in light and adds to the feeling of being on holiday.
A second bedroom, with a Murphy fold-down bed, doubles as a walk-in wardrobe, and a sliding door between this guest room and the bathroom shuts off the rest of the flat. 'Close the door and you have a suite with a closet, an en-suite bathroom and a bedroom,' Li says. 'It's like a hotel.'
Beyond, in what was originally the third bedroom, Li fitted a large, rectangular dining table in front of a bay window, with two long benches on the sides. 'If you move the table the two benches can come together to become a bed,' says Chan.
At the other end of the table is a movable work station (see Tried + tested). 'The clients said they often have house guests,' says Li, who designed the layout knowing that Hong Kong-born Chan and Scott, from Scotland, like to cook. Working with the small original kitchen, he created a room that can be closed to prevent food smells from wafting into the rest of the flat, and an adjoining, open area that doubles as a dry kitchen. Behind panels that afford a clean, uniform look are a refrigerator and freezer, a wine fridge and ample storage space.