The melding of a pair of flats in Tseung Kwan O has resulted in a chic, modern family home that caters to grown-up needs.
Sometimes one is just not enough. When Tong Che-keung and his wife, Karen, decided to move from the family home in Sha Tin with their two adult daughters, they purchased two adjoining flats in a large Tseung Kwan O development. Architectural designer Joey Ho (tel: 2850 8732) was brought in to join the two spaces into a multigenerational abode.
The merging of two flats into one 900 sqft home didn't result in any duplication; the extra kitchen, for instance, was converted into a utility room. 'All the walls in the units were structural so I could not change the actual layout,' says Ho. 'Instead, I focused on the big picture of opening up the space to make it seem bigger. Getting all the details right with these constraints was a new challenge and one I enjoyed because the clients respected my suggestions.'
Ho's response to his brief was to create an airy home that feels much larger than its square footage. The front door opens into an open-plan living/dining area, with a partially hidden kitchen tucked behind the living room. The cleverly concealed master bedroom is accessed from the left side of the living room; entry to the daughters' bedrooms and bathroom is through a small corridor to the right.
'Our home in Sha Tin was very old fashioned,' says daughter Renee. 'It was very dark and had a lot of dark-wood Chinese furniture.'
Their new home couldn't be more different. Perched on a high floor overlooking the sea, the flat is awash with light and the reflected green hues from a mountain visible through the expansive windows. 'Nature was very important in the design of this space,' says Ho. 'I wanted to carry the mountain and sea views into the house, which already has daylight as its backdrop.'