Modern meets classic in spacious Hong Kong apartment
A classic interior is given a contemporary spin, writes Jane Steer
By Hong Kong standards, 1,350 square feet equals a generously sized apartment. But add a family of six and all their possessions and even that amount of real estate can soon feel cramped.
Enter interior designer Clifton Leung. Through careful planning and clever use of space, he and his team at Clifton Leung Design Workshop not only created an apartment that its owners and their four children love, but also made it feel spacious, bright and uncluttered.
The Hong Kong Chinese couple, who are in the property business, bought the three-bedroom, twobathroom flat on Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, in 2014.
“The owners wanted it to be classic,” Leung says.
“But I suggested making it modern classic by reducing the level of detail and giving it a modern twist.”
That translated into a simple palette of mainly white walls, pale oak floors and plenty of storage. He started by reconfiguring the diamond-shaped living-dining space, building a brick wall to square off the living room and turning the wedge-shaped area behind the wall into a study nook, creating a useful space from a formerly redundant corner.
“We straightened the living room by adding a wall, which makes it easier to watch TV – the angled wall was not practical. We left bricks exposed and painted white to add texture and break up the ‘classic’,” Leung says.