Inside the shape-shifting 452-square-foot Hong Kong flat dubbed the 'city transformer'
A newlywed couple’s small Sai Ying Pun nest inspired a designer to create what he calls the ‘city transformer’, writes Christopher DeWolf.
Many designers turn their noses up at Hong Kong’s shoebox apartments. Not Clifton Leung.
“I love working in a smaller space because you can use it all,” he says.
A prime example is the 452 sq ft Sai Ying Pun flat he dubs the “city transformer”: its sliding wall allows a modest living area to be transformed into multiple spaces.
Newly married couple Jack Ng and Aries Lee Leung last year asked Clifton Leung Design Workshop to renovate their apartment, which is in the same building as Ng’s parents’ flat. Aside from a mesmerising harbour view, the property didn’t hold much appeal.
Leung decided to open up the flat without turning it into a studio and that meant sacrificing one of the two bedrooms.
“I wanted them to experience different living spaces instead of one big room,” he says. “This way, you have options, whether you’re cooking, sleeping or having friends over.”
A long sliding wall between the living room and bedroom enabled Leung’s vision. When the divider is open, the apartment is bright and airy, but the bedroom can be closed off for privacy.