Location is all important when choosing a home and usually a property's proximity to places of work or a transport network, and its view, are uppermost in the minds of house hunters. However, for Daryl Wickstrom, Sotheby's head of business development, Asia, it was the needs of his Labrador, Paddington, that were paramount.
Before moving to Hong Kong from London last year, American-born Wickstrom and his partner had hoped to find an open, airy, contemporary space in an old building. When, on a pre-move visit, they viewed a 2,700 sq ft apartment in a 40-year-old building in Mid-Levels they knew they had struck lucky. The property was suitable for practical, aesthetic - and canine - reasons.
The low-rise building is close to Bowen Road, where many dogs are exercised, with lots of light, open views across Central at the front and plenty of greenery at the back. The couple had to use their imagination, though, because the property had yet to be renovated.
'The owner, who lives next door, walked me through her own apartment and showed me what she was thinking of doing,' Wickstrom explains. 'She has great style and I said that if it ended up looking anything like hers, I'd be perfectly happy.'
Being involved at an early stage of the renovation meant Wickstrom's particular requirements could be catered to. For example, architect Kent Lui added a door in the den that allows Paddington to access an exterior passageway that wraps around onto the terrace.
'We are a little dog crazy,' says Wickstrom, 'and because they factored the dog into the design ... we knew we had the right landlords.'