THERE'S SOMETHING fishy going on here. This you surmise on entering the 3,000-sq-ft home of Peter and Jenny Lau and their six-year-old daughter Tamara. Is it the huge aquarium facing the entrance, filled with 20 different breeds of saltwater fish? Perhaps it's the two other freshwater tanks in the living room and study.
No, it's the fact that this Mid-Levels home is completely devoid of kiddie clutter. Among the tasteful wood finishes, chic taupe furnishings and cream-wool carpeting, there is nary a sign of young life. Where is the prerequisite plastic detritus, the Barbie dolls, the Powerpuff books, the Disney videos?
'Here,' points out Daisy, one of four domestic helpers (yes four - no doubt a contributing factor to the orderly state of affairs). She looks as if she's leaning against the living-room wall, but one nudge against a push-latch mechanism and floor-to-ceiling doors open to reveal an entire wall of deep shelves, filled with a CS Lewis-style cornucopia of delights. There are shelves of comic books, cupboards filled with sports equipment, piles of spangly fabrics and neatly stacked Tupperware boxes filled with sparkly beads and sequins. And that's just for mum and dad. Concealed within hidden storage space elsewhere is a library of children's books that would put the Urban Council to shame, stacks of board games (some unopened), and even a shelf dedicated to blowing bubbles and another to novelty sticking plasters.
'I hate clutter,' admits Jenny, owner of an upmarket Central fashion boutique. 'Having somewhere to hide it all was one of my main requests when we moved in. And I wanted an enormous bathroom, as I spend most of my time there.' Her final requirement was a loft-like feel as she has an aversion to doors and feels claustrophobic in small spaces. She also felt nostalgic for the loft she stayed in while living in New York. For Peter, a keen diver and lover of aquatic life, myriad aquariums were his main criterion.
Satisfying the brief was down to architect Norman Chan of BTR Workshop (tel: 2763 9980), a childhood friend of Peter's, who was also best man at their wedding, and contractor Chung Shun Engineering Co (tel: 2522 1876). 'Like most of our projects, we wanted to keep things simple, clean and precise,' says Chan. 'We wanted it to feel free and fluid with walls that can move and disappear - a very modernist principle of planning.'
The capacious space, originally two apartments, was gutted to create a huge open-living area set on a slightly lower level which evokes a subconscious sense of demarcation. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, a BTR Workshop signature feature, then shut off the rest of the apartment when required.
