Architect lives the dream as his interior design firm flourishes

As a child, Steve Leung lived apart in a partitioned cubicle in an old residential building in Kowloon City.

But in a rags-to-riches tale, Leung went from this grim childhood experience to qualify as an architect and design the interior of the world's most expensive home, the property at 38 Conduit Road in the West Mid-Levels that was sold for HK$439 million in October last year.

'I lived in a 50-square-foot partitioned room in an old building in Kowloon City with my grandmother and mother,' Leung said. 'About 30 other households lived on the same floor of the building.'

Though poor, dreams cost nothing. And the young Leung turned his dreams of living in a better environment into reality by becoming a sought-after designer of luxurious living environments for the rich and famous people of Hong Kong.

'My mother gave me freedom to develop my interests. My father was born in a rich family. He would buy a pair of shoes for HK$400, even though his monthly salary was only HK$300. He brought me to coffee shops, gardens and a decent restaurant once a month,' Leung said.

This gave him an inkling of what life was like on the rich side of the street in Hong Kong.