Nature and the great indoors blend seamlessly in a home renovated to meet the needs of teenagers and adults alike.
For some people, home is a sanctuary; for others, it is a space filled with voices, music and television. Thanks to clever interior design, home for Tony and Jennifer Law, their two teenage children and Jennifer's sister can be both tranquil and rowdy. When Jennifer left the University of Hong Kong and the family moved out of college housing, they decided to stay in Pokfulam, where they
had lived for many years. They then happened upon a 2,000 sq ft flat in a mid-1960s building that they knew could meet their needs.
The Laws called in Johnny Wong, design director of FAK3 (tel: 2946 9950), to transform the flat's warren of small, dark rooms into the bright and airy multifunctional space it is today. Says Wong: 'There was a grid-like layout and a partition of walls with lots of small rooms, lacking in light and air, which is in total contrast to the flat's context.'
To achieve the feeling the Laws wanted - a home that celebrated the nature that surrounded it and kept the family together rather than sequestered in private zones - Wong gutted the place and started afresh. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment was reborn as a four-bedroom, two-bath eyrie.
The Laws and Wong decided to make the dining room the heart of the home. 'We wanted to make a grand gesture and have one big, open space from the kitchen through the living room to the balcony,' Wong explains. 'However, we also wanted the space to have many possibilities in terms of function and configuration.'