Having a close relative in the interior-design business can be a blessing when your 15-year-old flat needs an update. Just be prepared for a few differences of opinion. Pleasing the client is always a challenge for home designers. The challenge is especially taxing when the client is your mother; just ask designer Kevin Chu, who renovated the 1,950-square-foot Happy Valley flat he shares with his. 'Sometimes we didn't speak for a week,' he says, recalling the arguments that took place. 'But in the end we both really like it.' Helen Cheung bought the apartment new 15 years ago and worked with a designer before moving in. But, Kevin says, 'It was so old-fashioned: very 1980s, with wallpaper and mouldings, and generally over-detailed.' When Cheung decided the place needed an update, she appointed her architect/designer son, who had recently started his own design firm, K Ltd. Once the pair reached consensus on the overall feeling the renovated space would have, he developed a computerised three-dimensional model of the apartment. Apart from allowing Kevin to decide what materials to use where, the model was programmed to calculate where the strongest natural light in the space would be. 'It turned out the configuration really worked with the light, so we ended up doing a complete surface renovation and leaving the rooms as they were,' Chu says. With the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, one-study, open-plan living/dining room flat and terrace reduced to a skeleton, Chu introduced a creative range of materials and surfaces that make the most of the unobstructed views and north/south exposures. 'My mother likes light palettes,' Chu says, 'so we just capitalised on that in the public rooms and her quarters.' Finnish-ash floors, sealed with a pale coating of white, run through the living/dining areas and Cheung's room, and German ash graces the office and guest room. Chu's rooms - in bold combinations of crimson, cool greys, stainless steel and dark wenge wood - are a striking contrast to the softness of the rest of the home. The desire for different surfaces, which define the spaces, was a design aspect that required much fine-tuning. The sandstone tiles lining the living/dining area had to be changed twice before they were the right shade of 'almost white' and the stainless-steel wardrobes in Chu's bedroom were a unique design that required extra time and effort. The painted glass in Chu's bathroom is a rich red that reflects the sunlight and cascading water from the shower. To capitalise on the contrasting woods used in the apartment while maintaining a harmonious design, Chu lined the fronts of all of the doors that open onto the corridor leading to the family quarters in dark wood. 'My mother likes modernism, but was afraid I'd make the space too bare,' Chu says, 'so she consulted a lot on the furnishings.' Because Chu and Cheung had ditched every item from the flat's previous incarnation, there were a lot of decisions to be made. They ended up with a selection of furniture custom designed by Kevin to fit each room, complemented by a few pieces chosen from favourite retailers - all in keeping with the light colours and wood tones used throughout the apartment. The few accessories - vases, bowls and other objects - were purchased by Chu on one of his frequent buying trips to Bangkok. 'When it comes to interior pieces, you can't beat Thailand for selection and price,' he says. Having lived in their renovated home for several months, both mother and son are pleased with the results. 'It is what I wanted and better than I expected,' says Cheung. 1 The living area is divided by a step from the dining area, which is furnished in pieces from Ovo (16 Queen's Road East, tel: 2526 7226; the dining table, cabinet, chairs and coffee table cost a total of $56,000). The living room has a mixture of furniture, including a couch ($13,800) from Adee Design (Friendship Court, 12 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley, tel: 2838 2518). Kevin Chu (tel: 9766 4480; IDEAS4@yahoo.com ) created the wall screen for the plasma television. The latticed screens by the front door segregate the entrance while letting light pass through. 2 The unobstructed view from the balcony captures Happy Valley, Causeway Bay and, on a clear day, the New Territories. The flooring had to be cut on an angle, which was one of the more challenging aspects of an otherwise straightforward renovation. Chu and his mother have made the most of the outdoor space by installing bamboo lattice ($180 in total from Kin Hing Outdoor Furniture, 388 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2591 0603) and planting a flower garden. The chair is from Ikea ($495, various locations; www.ikea.com.hk ). The blinds ($7,900, from Shing Hing Curtain, 153 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2528 2974) are used throughout the home. 3 The crimson wall of Chu's bedroom matches the painted glass in his bathroom, but contrasts with the light colours in the rest of the apartment. The wenge-wood headboard was designed by Chu (tel: 9766 4480; IDEAS4@yahoo.com ) and built by Kofull Design & Contracting (room 701, Kai Tak Commercial Building, 66 Stanley Street, Central, tel: 3173 8373). The custom-made stainless-steel wardrobes refract the colours that dance around the room. 4 Chu selected the rich, painted, red glass that makes up the walls in his bathroom by looking at paint chips. 'You can have glass painted in any colour and I wanted a shade of red,' he says. All bathroom fixtures and furnishings were designed by Chu and built by Kofull Design & Contracting. 5 The kitchen is a study in surfaces. The Spanish-tile floor, texturised to prevent slippage, creates a contrast to the smooth surfaces of the countertops and cabinets ($68,000, from German Pool Kitchen Equipment, 1/F, Yue Xiu Building, 160 Lockhart Road, tel: 3110 2030). The chair ($2,300) is from Dimensions (51 Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, tel: 3162 3721). 6 Chu designed the mixed-wood desk in his study to blend with the combination of woods found throughout the home. The chair ($1,560) is from Lamex Trading (Dah Sing Financial Centre, 108 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2802 8812). The lamp was bought in Thailand. 7 The third bedroom - space for guests if needed - has been converted into a reading room for Chu's mother. Chu custom made the chair and the vanity table, as well as storage areas and nooks in which to display treasures bought in Thailand. tried & tested man of steel After perusing without success the selection of security gates available in Hong Kong, designer Kevin Chu decided to take matters into his own hands. 'I wanted something transparent,' he says. 'I was looking for something simple that would show off the wooden material of the door beneath it while still providing some security.' To meet these competing needs, Chu designed this tempered glass and stainless-steel entryway to cover the formal wooden front door. 'You could throw a brick at it and it wouldn't break,' he explains. And it looks good too. styling Esther van Wijck