Having lived for four years in a 'dark flat surrounded by dark wood furniture', Judith Bailey was looking for a change. She knew she had found the solution when she came across the airy, sunny, semi-detached Sai Kung house she now calls home. With 15 years of interior-design experience, Bailey oversaw the three-month renovation herself, collaborating daily with her contractor, Power Smart Engineering, while staying in a rented apartment nearby with her two children. The British single mother and entrepreneur, whose brand of eco-friendly, fair-trade burlap tote bags has won design awards in Australia, kept the cost and carbon footprint of purchases down by sourcing materials locally. Using her eye for detail, she then filled the 3,500 sq ft, multilevel house with unusual and striking features. 'All my curtains and carpeting came from a little shop in Sai Kung town,' Bailey says. 'I found sofas in Ap Lei Chau and rugs in Kowloon. The things I spent money on are the details.' The kitchen-cum-dining area, which she calls the heart of the house, illustrates Bailey's love of strong, clean lines, subtle patterns and versatile lighting. By removing a wall that divided the two spaces, she created a more sociable cooking and dining space. A beautifully crafted, reclaimed elm wood dining table and a striking, sculptural light fixture - 'Guests often comment that I have a UFO hovering in my dining room' - serve as centrepieces. The long stretch of white counter space contrasts boldly with laminated black cabinets, which are complemented by a mirrored splash back with an abstract botanical motif designed by Bailey. Four sets of lights were installed to cater to the various functions and 'moods' of the space: a set of halogen spotlights with dimmers to complement the 'spaceship' ceiling lamp; another to cast light on the walls and the edges of the room; one above the kitchen counter, adding to the ambient light; and a single spotlight on the island countertop, which, in addition to food preparation, Bailey sometimes uses as an office desk. The lighting in the sea-facing living room is, by contrast, sparse and simple. 'I think of it almost as the opposite of the kitchen-dining room,' Bailey says. Bathed in creamy tones, the lofty ceiling and French windows make the most of the natural light during the day. 'At night, it looks completely different - very soft and cosy.' A single row of soft spotlights draws attention to the pearly, patterned wallpaper on the back feature wall; a standing lamp is poised over the sofa. Bailey's selective use of patterned wallpaper and decorative details make for pleasant discoveries as one wanders through the house. A white, almost tribal, decal decorates the large, sliding glass door to her work studio; big, brightly coloured graphic stickers appear on the walls and wardrobe doors of her seven- and eight-year-olds' bedrooms and playroom. A large striking rose graphic adorns the wall behind her bed. The most unusual detail in the house, however, is outside, on the far wall of the garden. The laser-cut wall hanging accents the white stucco surface. At night, a single floor light embedded in the teak deck draws the eye to the piece. Bailey is thinking of doing more with the wall. 'It would make a great outdoor cinema screen. Once it cools down, I think I'll get a projector and set it up for movie nights under the stars. That would be great fun.' 1 Kitchen-dining area The first thing that greets the eye in the kitchen-dining area is a colourful portrait of Judith Bailey's children she commissioned from Dafen artists village in Shenzhen a few years ago. Bailey designed the 'floating' dining table, which was made with reclaimed wood by The Wood Shop (1/F, Hong Kong Mansion, 141 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2234 0111) for HK$19,000; 'One side [of the table] is supported by the island and the other side is supported by a slim stainless-steel leg,' she says. 'There are no other legs supporting the table, which gives maximum flexibility for seating options.' The cabinetry and Corian-top island were built by Kuchen (301 Lockhart Road, tel: 2845 9822). The Coma bar stools (HK$3,000 each), designed by Josep Llusca for Enea, were sourced through www.kezu.com.au . The Eames chairs cost HK$3,000 each at Aluminium (36 Cochrane Street, Central, tel: 2546 5904). The hanging light fixture came from Mooi Living (1/F, Fortune Building, 150 Lockhart Road, tel: 2802 9998). 2 Garden Bailey sourced the wood for the decking and wall panelling from Kalok Horticulture (1-K Mang Kung Wor Road, Sai Kung, tel: 2719 5025). The outdoor furniture set (HK$115,000), including the Orbit canopied loveseat, Hemisphere lounge chairs and two coffee tables, came from Dedon (32/F, 248 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2529 7233). The wooden garden patio set (in the foreground; HK$1,199), by ELC, came from Bumps To Babes (21/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 2552 5000). 3 Living room The L-shaped sofa (HK$22,000), by Simply Sofas (8/F, Horizon Plaza, tel: 2525 2672), was customised with deep seats to allow Bailey and her children to curl up on it. The love- seat was bought years ago. Bailey replaced the original dark wood top of the coffee table with a lighter timber. The rug (HK$9,000) was made to order by Canaan Curtains (42 Fuk Man Road, Sai Kung, tel: 2792 9892). Bailey found the patterned feature wallpaper and matching cushion covers through the Designers Guild website, www.designersguild.com . The Tolomeo Mega floor lamp (HK$7,100) came from Artemide (1/F, Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2523 0333). 4 Bedroom detail Bailey carved out a nook for a vanity set in the master suite; the Pax Nexus wardrobe from Ikea (various locations; www.ikea.com.hk ) cost HK$2,550 for the corner unit (two doors) and HK$1,180 for a one-door unit; the light columns were from an Ikea in Spain. The contractor built and finished the table in beech veneer to match the wardrobe units. The Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Series 7 chair (HK$6,440) came from Aluminium. The carpeting throughout the house was sourced by Canaan Curtains. 5 Study A mini designer chair collection from the Vitra Design Museum ( www.design-museum.de ) in Weil am Rhein, Germany, decorates Bailey's studio. Hanging on the Forest clothes rack (HK$2,980) from Homeless (29 Gough Street, Central, tel: 2581 1880) is a collection of jute bags from Bailey's company, Bang Consortium (bangconsortium.com.hk). The Tolomeo Micro table lamp cost HK$2,200 from Artemide. The silver globe came from Lane Crawford Home Store (Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2118 3652). 6 Master bedroom The neutral creams and beiges in the master suite are anchored by a large floral wall graphic from Tat Ming Wallpaper (16/F, Kwan Chart Tower, 6 Tonnochy Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2893 2337). Bailey painted over original yellow tones in the design. The bed frame and side table set was brought from Australia years ago. The curtains were made by Canaan Curtains to match the Nonnamaria chaise longue from Flexform, which Bailey brought from her previous flat. 7 Playroom The lower ground floor of the house is a dedicated play area for Bailey's two children and is furnished it with items from Ikea: Stolmen system shelving units (HK$7,310 for the four-section configuration), a Smila Sol ceiling lamp (HK$299.90) and an Ekorre hanging seat (HK$269.90). She splurged on a mini football table (HK$2,999) from Bumps To Babes. The Ikea coffee table has been discontinued. 8 Living room detail The large painting of a Buddha statue, bought at the Dafen artists village, functions as a cover for the flat-screen television. The painting lowers to hide the TV when it is not in use. The customised frame and remote-controlled motorised track (HK$50,000 for both), upon which the painting was mounted, were made by a specialist contractor through Power Smart Engineering (5/F, On Lee Building, 545 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, tel: 2690 5309). Tried + tested Making a splash Instead of a painted or tiled backsplash for the kitchen counter, Judith Bailey created a visually dynamic alternative, with a mirror and a damask pattern of her own design. 'Measurements for the backsplash were taken after the kitchen units were completed as it was specified in one piece - I didn't want any joints,' Bailey says. 'It was then constructed by laminating the pattern between a sheet of glass and a sheet of mirror, and fixed to the wall.' The work was done by Power Smart Engineering for HK$12,500. Styling David Roden