A couple who love to cook had only one request of their architect: a kitchen that could be a social hub but could also be closed off to contain the smell of stir-frys.
When Grace and Tim Wong bought their 2,600 sq ft Mid-Levels apartment, they knew it needed an extensive revamp. In true Hong Kong style, its chopped-up layout made poor use of the space available.
Grace, who is in the property marketing business, knew the apartment had lots of untapped potential so she sought someone to help transform the space. 'We chose from about four designers, all of whom gave us a general idea of what they would do with the space and provided sketches and quotations.'
In the end she chose architect Frank Chiu of Hong Kong and Beijing-based Atelier: China (tel: 9779 7153 or 86 137 1855 5773). 'Frank gave us a vision of how he would maximise the use of the space and that was very important to us.'
When it came to a design brief, however, the couple's requirements were free from dogmatic preconceptions. Chiu was free to remove non-structural walls and reconfigure room sizes to turn what was a four-bedroom apartment into a much more spacious two bedrooms plus study. 'The intention was to make the flat open and interconnected using neutral tones and natural materials,' says Chiu.
One thing the couple did request, however, was a large kitchen that was open, or half open, to the rest of the space. Says Grace: 'Initially people thought, as we were a young couple, we would be spend more on the bathroom or other parts of the apartment. But we love cooking so we wanted all the right appliances and a large countertop.'