The stairs are often overlooked when it comes to design, but in one house in Tai Mei Tuk, in the New Territories, Timothy Cheng of Tiron Interior Architecture transformed them into a major feature.
The 2,100 sq ft house that accommodates the staircase, in Meadow Cove - a private housing estate built about two years ago - appealed to owners Ken Yue and his wife partly because of the outdoor communal areas, which, Yue says, are well maintained by a management company that also provides good security. In addition, he says, the fung shui for the house is 'excellent': the mountains behind it 'provide support' and the ocean in front brings in money and good fortune. Plus, it's built on a hill, affording its residents good views.
On the ground level of the three-storey house, what was originally the front door opens onto the open-plan living room, which incorporates the dining area and kitchen at one end and leads out to the garden. The first thing Cheng did was to 'swap' the entrances, so that the front door became the back door and vice versa. The original back door is closer to the parking area and is at the end of a path that winds through a small garden created by Yue. Walking the path is a pleasant way to approach the house.
Next came the aforementioned stairs. 'There was an ugly, boring spiral staircase in the corner,' says Cheng, which had to go.
The new stairs lead up from the former front entrance and are a striking ground-floor feature. Cheng's design incorporates a multi-functional wall into which a television is built at one end (see Tried + tested); at the other there is a small, illuminated recessed area for the display of a favourite ornament or flower arrangement.
Cheng has left a gap along the bottom of the wall and the stairs so that, from the living room, you can see the feet of people walking up and down. He calls this feature 'the mystery within the ordinary'. Being able to see the feet but not the bodies of people, he believes, adds an element of humour.