For Anthony Lei, the excitement of designing his own home was professional as well as personal. As a young architect at a leading Hong Kong firm, his days are typically spent working on large commercial projects, so he was eager to experience freedom of expression without having to answer to clients or bosses.
'That's a dream for architects,' he says with a smile.
'I love the views to the sea and it's a relatively quiet area,' he says of his first home, a small, bright apartment overlooking the Kennedy Town harbourfront. 'It's an old area in Hong Kong but it's got great potential because the MTR will open, hopefully, in two years. The price was on the rise but still OK.'
With a net area of just 350 sq ft, the flat didn't allow Lei much space to play with, so he had to be creative. Luckily, his is a simple and uncluttered style.
'I wanted to cater for my lifestyle, which is not too complicated. Basically, I try to store everything away to open up the space. Instead of focusing on features and objects, I put emphasis on space and lighting, and on material and detailing,' he says.
Most of the storage space is well concealed. Lei created a raised platform for his mattress, under which are several hatches. When lifted, these reveal wells full of books and out-of-season clothes. Both the slim-line kitchen and bathroom house lots of high cupboards.