Leung, an in-house legal consul for a local company, and Chan, who works in the finance industry, had long wanted an open-plan living space, but had not been able to reconfigure the layout of their previous apartment, in an older block on the same road.

"The interior walls in our last apartment were all structural so there was nothing we could do to the layout," says Leung. "When we found this newer block, in 2013, in the same neighbourhood, and discovered only one pillar was structural, because it contains a pipe that goes through the entire building, we knew it would allow us to have everything we wanted."

The Hong Kong-born couple, who have a nine-year-old daughter, turned to interior designer Clifton Leung, whose work they had seen in magazines. His brief was to devise an open-plan concept for the 2,020 sq ft apartment.

Leung gutted the space. The new living areas replaced three small bedrooms, once accessed off a single corridor, and a large kitchen, previously closed off from the dining and living areas. The remaining space was devoted to two spacious en-suite bedrooms, separated by a large, glass-walled study.

"Most Hong Kong apartments are tailored for sale, not for living, but things are changing and more often buyers are looking for something different," says Clifton Leung.

The open kitchen now sports a bar counter/workspace and a floor-to-ceiling easy-to-clean glass board on which the family scribbles messages or impromptu drawings.

"Opening up the kitchen, dining and living area into one large integrated space means we can see what is happening even when cooking. It also lets in so much more daylight into the dining space," says Tina Leung.

The couple also requested an all-white interior palette.

"We wanted a light colour as it is brighter and relaxing. We like spaces that are uncluttered and comfortable but otherwise we had an open mind when we met Clifton," says Tina Leung.

To keep the apartment from appearing too minimalist, Clifton Leung added strong details such as the cluster of copper lamps suspended above the dining table and natural wood shelving in the living area. Windows were treated to new blinds with horizontal strips of dark fabric interspersed with mesh, providing greater flexibility over the amount of light inside.

The greatest design challenge was deciding where to put the large television. Clifton Leung's simple but efficient solution was to install a new wall that contains hidden storage.

"The wall is slightly raised off the ground and has curved edges to retain a sense of lightness," he says.

The family friendly storage theme continues in the form of roll-out boxes beneath the living area's long, built-in wall unit.

"Even with just one child we have a lot of toys," says Tina Leung. "The best part of this design is that my daughter can use it herself, so she can clear away or take out toys when she needs them. If it is difficult to do, a child will just not do it at all."

Clifton Leung also suggested minimising the size of the master bathroom to allow for a large walk-in dressing room with coppery glass walls and sliding door.

"The transparency means the bedroom feels more open and makes it much more interesting than a simple white wall," he says. "The original bathroom was bigger but this one is just the right size, plus we have a lot more cupboard space. In design you often have to compromise so it's important to understand how the family uses the space."

Both new bathrooms feature Japanese-inspired minimalist interiors, with deep soaking tubs and distinctive wall tiles.

As for the recalcitrant structural column in the dining area, Clifton Leung made it a feature by fixing a quirky cuckoo clock to it.

"In the beginning, we thought the column was a constraint," he recalls. "But now it is a detail they really like."

Dining area The dining table (HK$21,300) and chairs (HK$1,640 each) were sourced from Calligaris. The vase was a gift and the crockery was bought years ago. The cluster of copper ceiling lamps (HK$46,000 in total) was sourced from Zodiac (Amber Commercial Building, 70 Morrison Hill Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2882 9082).

Kitchen The writing wall (HK$5,500) was made by City of Glass (11/F, Fook Sing Factory Building, 2 Walnut Street, Tai Kok Tsui, tel: 2398 2316) and the ceiling spotlights (HK$1,820) came from Megaman. The kitchen cabinetry (HK$278,700) was by Clifton Leung Design Workshop.

Daughter’s bedroom Most of the furniture came from the family’s previous home. The wardrobe’s curtain and rail (HK$1,744), which serve as a door, were made by Curtain City.

Guest bathroom The basin (HK$3,000), mixer (HK$7,700) and Villeroy & Boch toilet (HK$8,000) came from Colourliving (333 Lockhart Road, tel: 2295 6263). The Japanese-style bathtub (HK$12,800) was designed and built by Clifton Leung Design Workshop.

Clifton Leung transformed a hard-to-use space in the bathroom by adding a dressing table with hidden extendable counters and a three-piece mirror (HK$19,950 as one set) sandwiched between a window and a low-level air-conditioning unit. "It is the ideal place for applying make-up as the area has natural light and plenty of space thanks to the extendable shelves," says Leung.