'I knocked down all the walls and opened it up,' Leung says. 'I wanted it to be more spacious, more usable and flexible.'

Central to Leung's design are 10 sliding doors that close off rooms while creating other spaces. The open-plan kitchen can be enclosed and a central corridor running the length of the flat disappears when the doors of three adjoining rooms - the living room, Lisa's study and the bedroom - are slid shut.

'When you close and open the doors you change the perspective of the whole space,' Leung says. 'It can change the mood and environment.'

At the heart of the apartment is Lisa's room. Leung admits his wife, who is also an architect, had to compromise her style so his design could be realised. However, he gave her carte blanche in her own space.

'I told her, 'I'm sorry, I need to design it all but you can put whatever you want in there,'' Leung says.

Alongside Leung's penchant for pared-down functionalism is his fondness for kitsch, evidence of which is dotted throughout the apartment, from the 'camera' on the front door to the quirky accoutrements reflecting his love of travel and transport. But as a minimalist he keeps it under control.

'I like to collect things but only about a third of my collection is on display. I have boxes of goodies out of sight,' says Leung.

As a result, the theme of the apartment is based on natural materials and neutral shades.

'I wanted to keep it mono. If I put colour in I knew I would hate it in a year or two. You can add colour with your belongings - that is enough.'

Another of Leung's minimalist signatures is the absence of light switches on the walls. The lamps are operated by remote control and the bathroom light switches were positioned low. 'There's nothing at eye level. I like things kept out of sight. Even when I'm designing for a client, I keep the wall switches low.'

Although clearly thrilled with the result, Leung says it was his most challenging project to date. 'It's harder to design for yourself,' he says. 'With a client, it's much easier because I talk to them and get to know what they want. With myself, I wanted too many things and there were no constraints - apart from budget!'

1 Sliding doors

Sliding doors open to reveal the length of the apartment. The doors were built about a foot shy of the ceiling because Clifton Leung had to design around existing beams. He also designed overhead storage space. The flat has two sections, the 'functional' area (kitchen, bathrooms and walk-in wardrobe) and the 'living' space, which are marked by a difference in flooring. The functional side features tiles while the living area has wood by Rada sourced for HK$148 per square foot at Wan Fong Flooring (18/F, Block A, Wah Tat Industrial Centre, 8 Wah Sing Street, Kwai Chung, tel: 9679 8243). The grain is stained because Leung thought untreated oak was too yellow for the colour scheme.

2 Kitchen

The open-plan kitchen can be closed off by sliding the doors on either side shut. The doors, by Clifton Leung Design Workshop (3/F, 128 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 3106 8384), cost HK$8,800 each. The creamy white tiles cost about HK$60 per square foot from Hop Hing Lung Material (235 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2511 3013). Leung bought the airline food trolleys to use as wheel-out storage units from The Galley (169 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2838 9986) for HK$18,500 each. The dining table (HK$18,000) was bought from Lane Crawford Home Store (Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2118 3652). The kitchen units cost HK$128,000 to build by Clifton Leung Design Workshop. The dining chairs (HK$3,600 each) and ceiling light (HK$6,900) came from Dentro (LG/F, Wilson House, 19 Wyndham Street, Central, tel: 3741 1351). The altar table is a Chinese antique bought years ago.

3 Wardrobe

The walk-in wardrobe has a light switch fitted into the floor for HK$1,500. The steps (HK$32,000), by Clifton Leung Design Workshop, open to reveal storage space.

4 Bathroom

A glass partition (HK$25,000), by Clifton Leung Design Workshop, separates the en-suite bathroom from the bedroom. The Toto basin (HK$2,000) and toilet (HK$32,000) came from Leisure Plus (239 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2186 8288). The Vola tap cost HK$5,400 from H2O Pro (332 Lockhart Road, tel: 2834 1661). The volcanic stone counter is from JES Stone (211 Lockhart Road, tel: 2156 9980) and cost HK$9,500.

5 Lisa's room

The room in the centre of the apartment is where Leung's wife Lisa plays the piano and works on craft projects. The chairs cost HK$6,800 each from Dentro. A plywood desk (HK$4,000), by Clifton Leung Design Workshop, was built into the bay window.

6 Living room

Leung didn't want a conventional sofa for the living room. This arrangement fits his flexible, functional ethos. The two benches can be separated to create extra seating when guests visit. The settle (HK$22,000), low bench (HK$7,500) and tall bench (HK$8,750), all by Ilse Crawford, were bought at Lane Crawford Home Store. The two fishing stools, from Canada, were a gift. The trunk (HK$20,000), bought at Shanghai Tang (12 Pedder Street, Central, tel: 2525 7333), opens to reveal a bar. The artwork above the settle came from Taiwan and was a gift. The floor speakers are Bang & Olufsen's BeoLab 6000 (HK$34,600 for the pair; 3/F, 1 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, tel: 2882 1782).

7 Bedroom

Tried + Tested

Down the aisle

LED lighting is embedded into tracking that runs the length of the apartment. At night, all the other lights in the flat can be switched off to create an effect that Clifton Leung designed to mimic the lighting on a plane. The Dimmable Cree LED light strip came from Edco (5/F, Kai Kwong Commercial Building, 332 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 3480 3880) and cost HK$3,000 for five metres.

Styling David Roden