Designs on success

Having your own interior design company can be useful in the quest for property investment success. And anyone thinking of following in Patricia Wu's footsteps can benefit from her design elan.

If you're driven by your own sense of style or other passions, this can show in your property renovation projects. Certain of Ms Wu's projects tend to have the hallmark of simplicity - belying a glut of well-hidden storage space - with a Thai influence running throughout.

Thailand and its Zen philosophies are evidently as fashionable with her buying public - 'the young, upcoming executive' - as they are with Ms Wu herself. While the majority of her acquisitions have been residential, her portfolio has also included restaurants and holiday rentals. Her love of Thai culture prompted her to establish Thai restaurant Sampan - known for its terraced seating and vistas - in Sai Kung in 2006, while she designed Baleeyan, a holiday rental property in Phuket, three years earlier.

The creative, construction and administrative energies needed in successful property development are implemented through Dopo, Ms Wu's one-stop company that serves residential and commercial clients. Anyone keen to try what she has done can use the company's services, which also cover feasibility studies, programming, planning and management, space planning, finish selection and specification, furniture design and specifications, construction and cost administration.