When it comes to reworking a space to suit a lifestyle, architect Roddy Murray is something of an expert. Last year, the self-termed 'serial renovator' moved into his third home in four years. Murray went from Sheung Wan to Mid-Levels to a light-filled, 2,000 sq ft space in Pok Fu Lam that now enjoys expansive sea views. With each apartment offering the chance for a hands-on makeover, Murray has given them the works - reconfiguring the spaces, experimenting with ideas and selecting furniture and furnishings that stand the test of time yet embody contemporary flair. 'The view was the starting point for the whole apartment,' Murray says of his latest flat. He knocked down internal walls, installed large windows and inserted huge sliding doors (adjacent to the kitchen and master bath-room) for spatial flexibility. Just as Murray was completing his three-month revamp, though, the management of the 1960s building began its own renovations. 'They put up scaffolding around the whole thing so we didn't get to see the full effect for months,' says Murray. 'Just after Chinese New Year they took it down and all of a sudden we had amazing views of the water and a brand new building.' The apartment comprises a big rectangular living room with a dining area at one end and an open kitchen. A large, sliding walnut panel hides the kitchen from view. 'You can screen the kitchen off if you don't want to see it,' says Murray. 'It's great if you want to just leave the dishes out.' Through a door at the back of the kitchen is a smaller space, which is used for messy cooking. Huge sliding glass windows across the front of the dining room lead onto a balcony surrounded by a clear-glass balustrade. The two elements make you feel as though you are floating in the air, high above the sea. In contrast, the entrance-side living room wall has been clad with stained black oak panelling along the entire length. The panelling conceals the front door; contains storage cupboards, allows the television to be set back into the wall and hides the wiring for the audio-visual equipment. 'I like the wood as an element in itself,' says Murray. 'Running the panelling from one end of the room to the other makes the room look longer.' Murray focused on creating comfort in the master bedroom suite. He knocked down the wall between the bedroom and bathroom, replacing it with a sliding wood panel so that sea views can be enjoyed from the shower or marble-clad tub. A connecting door links the bedroom to a walk-in wardrobe-cum-dressing room that wraps around into the hallway. The stunning view also influenced the colour scheme, a muted palette with lots of natural, feel-good textures. There are white walls, walnut and French limestone floors, sheer linen on the windows and a rich wool carpet inspired by Japanese woodcuts. The furniture is modern but usable and features contemporary design classics by B&B Italia, Mooi and Jasper Morrison alongside classic Chinese benches and tables and pieces custom designed by Murray. He has added decorative pieces to make the apartment homely. Candle stands, antique ceramics, woven basketry, lacquer ware and soft furnishings provide a visual identity. A 2 metre by 2 metre black and white image of a Papua New Guinean tribesman in the dining room was chosen, he says, because of its decorative quality and the subject's penetrating facial expression; it gives a dramatic focal point to the room. 'I like photographic images,' says Murray. 'They are not so precious.' 1 Internal walls were removed to create an open space encompassing the living room, dining area and kitchen. The large wooden sliding panel can be drawn across to seal off the kitchen. The nest of coffee tables ( ?800/HK$8,200) is from B&B Italia (Strada Provinciale 32, Novedrate, Como, Lombardy, Italy, tel: 39 031 795 111; www.bebitalia.it ). The black leather armchairs, also from B&B Italia, cost ?2,000 for the pair. The antique bench against the wood panelling was from China Art, which has since closed. 2 The glass and stainless-steel open kitchen was designed and manufactured by the apartment's owner, Roddy Murray (RJMD Design tel: 6103 2073). Murray chose back-painted glass because it looks good and is practical. Above the kitchen island hangs a Siemens cooker hood (HK$22,000, from Siemens, G1, Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street, tel: 2511 2323; www.siemens.com.hk ). The grey stools were ?200 each from Gervasoni (Via Durini 7, Milan, Italy, tel: 39 02 780 414; www.gervasoni1882.com ). 3 The master bedroom benefits from panoramic sea views. The artwork above the bed was painted by a friend of Murray's to fit the space. On the bed is a Missoni bedcover (HK$4,500) and Matteo bed linen (HK$2,300), all from Lane Crawford Home Store (Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2118 3668). The camel throw was bought in a market in Jodhpur, India. The Afghan rug came from a shop on Hollywood Road, which has since closed. The Tolomeo Micro bedside light (HK$950) is from Artemide (shop 111, Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2523 0333; www.artemide.com ). 4 Murray clad one wall of the living area in black stained oak panelling, which conceals storage, hides the front door, allows the television to be inset and visually elongates the room. The low, slim AV cabinet in black stained oak (HK$12,000) was designed by RJMD Design. The indigo and white New Zealand wool carpet, HK$16,000, was inspired by Japanese woodcuts containing yin and yang koi carp and was custom designed by RJMD Design. In front of the window is a brown leather Arne Jacobsen Swan Char (HK$48,000) from Aluminium (1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2546 5904; www.hk-aluminium.com ). 5 The balcony appears to float above the sea thanks to the clear-glass balustrades. The Gloster chairs (HK$6,080 each) are from Everything Under The Sun (1613 Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 2554 9088; www.everythingunderthesun.com .hk), as is the small folding table (HK$780). The sheer linen curtains were bought in a flea market in Paris. 6 Murray used limestone flooring through the kitchen, dining room, lounge and balcony areas for continuity and to make the area look bigger. The limestone cost HK$120 a square foot from Simbel (324 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2834 6212). Around the antique Ming-style dining table, which Murray has had for years, are six white leather Hi Pad dining chairs by Jasper Morrison that cost ?400 each from Cappellini (Via Milano 28, Mariano Comense, Como, tel: 39 031 759111; www. cappellini.it). Hanging over the table is a Mooi lamp (HK$8,000) made of spun synthetic fibres, from Lane Crawford. On the wall is a 2 square metre black and white photograph by Hibiki Kobayashi. The huge sliding wall panel is made of walnut floor planks that cost HK$80 a square foot from Equal (room 302, Phase 2, Ming An Plaza, 8 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2881 7066). 7 The spacious open bathroom offers sea views from the tub and can be closed off by a sliding wooden panel. The white marble cost HK$240 a square foot from Simbel; the bath was designed by RJMD Design. The sleek Vero basin (HK$4,800) by Duravit and the Antonio Citterio taps for Hansgrohe (HK$3,780) came from Depot (373 Lockhart Road, tel: 3106 6008). 8 The comfy sofa, designed and manufactured by RJMD Design, is covered in Osborne & Little grey linen; it is accessorised with ikat and tie-dyed indigo blue cushions using material sourced from a market in Bangkok. Behind the sofa is an ebony wooden shelving unit (HK$8,500) by RJMD Design. The photos on top are images from a Lane Crawford photo shoot in Paris, repro-duced in print on canvas. The lacquer cups and tray in the foreground were bought in Pagan, Myanmar. Tried + tested Roddy Murray (RJMD Design, tel: 6103 2073) opted for a modern alternative to the usual hinged door arrangement for his shower cubicle. The system has two glass panels, one fixed and one sliding. The sliding panel runs on a track attached to the top of the anchored panel. Murray says that this design makes getting in and out of the shower easy, allows for better ventilation of the shower cubicle and gives a cleaner, sharper look. Murray bought the mechanism in Singapore, but a similar one is available for HK$3,270 from Opening (165 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2519 9951). The rainshower, HK$6,460, is by Hansgrohe, from Depot (373 Lockhart Road, tel: 3106 6008).