'The right barbecue atmosphere is to relax and enjoy a mixed grill all day long. Take your time, cook a little bit of this and a little bit of that,' said Rhonda Gretton, managing director of Love That Lifestyle on the 22nd floor of Horizon Plaza.

'Put a large piece of meat on a rotisserie and let your guests slice off meat as thick or as thin as they like. If it is not quite cooked properly, just drop it on the grill to finish it off. Serve with bread rolls and salad and herb or spicy butters or sauces.

'Cook a whole fish, barbecue pork, grill vegetables, roast a turkey and make a dessert. The choices are endless.'

The company is a barbecue specialist representing two of Australia's best-known barbecue equipment brands - Barbeques Galore and BeefEater. It provides a wide range of barbecues - charcoal, gas and electric - with a new barbecue designed for boats coming next month.

The company also offers a maintenance service of the equipment.

Ms Gretton said the barbecues varied in quality depending on their grills and flame tamers, what type of roasting hoods they had, and whether they had a single ignition or included a side burner.

'As a larger barbecue with three or four burners provides plenty of space for the various dishes at the same time, we do not recommend a small [two- burner] barbecue unless space is a problem,' she said. 'The advantage of having a roasting hood as part of the barbecue is that you have a convection oven. You can cook anything on the barbecue that you would cook in your oven. The only difference is that you manually control the temperature and of course, your kitchen remains clean.'

It is also popular to take smaller barbecues to the beach or to the countryside for a picnic.

'The essence of the lifestyle is to relax and enjoy the natural environment around us,' she said.

For those who prefer staying indoors to avoid the summer heat, few things are more invigorating than sipping iced tea while reclining on a comfy sofa.

Simply Sofas at Horizon Plaza offers high-end, custom-made European couches with an impressive seat depth of up to 80cm.

'Base frame, seat cushions, covers and legs are the essence of a good sofa. For example, the base frame of our sofa is made of metal and hardwood that has undergone special treatment, such as moth-proofing and a drying procedure,' spokesman Mike Kie said.

Good support is also essential. 'Our sofa items are tested by technicians before they are sold. And each of the joints are fixed with wooden triangles. Glue and screws are used in the most stressful areas to ensure good support.

'Also, superb quality fabrics with high porosity, tolerance and flexibility are used underneath, making the sofa more durable,' he said.

A high-quality cover adds a warm, velvety touch to the sofa. 'We use reliable European fabrics that come in an assortment of bright colours that not only please the eye, but also feel smooth.'

Simply Sofas was one of a few manufacturers worldwide to master a unique injection moulding technique in sofa making.

'This kind of technique enhances the forms and lines of the sofa, as well as keeping it in perfect balance,' he said.

Another retailer at Ap Lei Chau, Double Happiness Art, offers a wide array of east-meets-west furniture, paintings and ornaments to touch up your home.

Freda Lee, the company's managing director, said it worked closely with designers who bought special decorative items for clients.

'Our hot items include a strong line of hand-painted solid wood and elm-wood cabinets, vase-cum-lamp ornaments, as well as tailor-made paintings decorated with gold leaf on lacquer.

'These items are popular gifts for wedding couples, too,' she said.