A stifling interior became an expansive, state- of-the-art family home, thanks to the owners' innovative vision.
'I'm a very gadget-y person,' says Patrick Law, whose newly renovated Pok Fu Lam apartment is wired from top to bottom and packed with clever gadgets and innovative solutions. The ringing of the doorbell produces a closed-circuit television image of visitors on four screens positioned throughout the house. Push a button on any of these and a signal engages the giant sliding front door and allows access to the white, light-filled space within.
But it wasn't always thus. With four bedrooms in a 2,500 sq ft expanse, it should have been a comfortable home for a family of four but Law is unequivocal about the flat's previous incarnation. 'It was unbelievably hideous,' he says. Small windows and poor layout were the main offences, making the flat feel stifling, dark and full of dead space. But a magnificent sea view proved enough of a redeeming feature to take on the challenges posed by the 'depressing' interior.
After a six-month renovation, only one of the original interior walls remains, largely owing to the transformation of the double-height dining room, which led off the entrance area. A meticulously planned kitchen now occupies the space, and the area above has been turned into a glass-fronted mezzanine playroom, which doubles as a guest room. The dining area has been moved to the site of the original kitchen and at the window is a desk looking out to sea.
Separating the dining area from the living space is a low stone-topped wall accommodating an innovative fireplace by Australian company EcoSmart. At night, clean ethanol-fuelled flames dance from a slit in the steel plate, creating an instant hearth and a warming focal point. During the day, however, when the compact installation is barely visible, all attention is drawn to the panoramic sea views, maximised by full-height windows that stretch across the front of the living area.
