No fixed abode

Given the cramped spaces that are often synonymous with Hong Kong apartment dwelling, sleek and stylish ways to divide up a room are high on the lists of requests made to interior designers.

And with the recent increase in loft-style living - a grey area in the local market where old factory buildings, industrial spaces and warehouses are being quietly converted into spacious homes - the room-partition subject has re-entered the dialogue.

'People want that more spacious feeling, and a loft-style home is one of the styles they'll look at,' says George Lam, of Hong Kong interior design firm Bugs Design Consultants. 'But they still want privacy when their friends come over.'

In his residential projects, Lam has used moving panels and sliding doors to divide large spaces into smaller ones for living, dining, sleeping and working. He prefers to use transparent or translucent materials, to allow light to permeate the space while still maintaining a sense of privacy.

The trend towards that sort of aesthetic - creating a loft-like feel even in new buildings - has largely derived from places such as New York, London and even Los Angeles, where lofts carry a premium.

Alan Mark, president of real estate firm The Mark Company, which has offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and who has worked with developers of loft spaces, says that those who are still coming around to the idea of living in one big open space often say they'd like a second, 'official' room for guests. 'But when I ask them when the last time they had a guest stay over, they have to stop and think about it,' he says. 'That's why I suggest creating another space that can be an office, den or occasional guest room.'