Hong Kong marina house gets a nautical makeover in line with its oceanfront location

Like the yachts berthed outside, this 2,000 sq ft, four-bedroom Sai Kung town house is bright, fresh and streamlined. Part of the Marina Cove development, the accommodation in the split-level house is arranged over six half-floors, which had barely been touched since it was built in the 1980s.

“It was very run-down,” says designer Clifton Leung Hin-che, who was charged with transforming the dated interior into a contemporary family home for Benny Liu, a medical doctor, his wife, Winnie, their daughters, 11-year-old Sarah and eight-year-old Hannah, and their pet turtle. The pro­cess, which began in mid-2017, took a year, during which the layout was changed, rooms reassigned and considered altera­tions made – a skylight here, a set of bifold doors there and walk-in wardrobes everywhere.

It is the second renovation Leung has undertaken for the family.

“Their last home, in the city, had more wood and Scandinavian influences,” he says. “This time, they wanted it to be fresh and marine clean, in keeping with the environment. So we went for shades of grey and lots of white.”

With so many levels to play with, the central staircase became a key element of the new look. Out went the narrow stairs and metal balustrades and in came a single slim­line balustrade with wooden handrails.

The materials used on the stairs change as they ascend through the house: practical grey tile in the lobby, living room and second-floor kitchen switches to warmer, softer wood for the third-floor family room/guest room, the fourth-floor children’s rooms and fifth- and sixth-floor master suite and study.

On each level, Leung has maximised the size of the windows, to bring in more natural light, and installed fuss-free white blinds to keep the look clean. Just as neat is the cove lighting, aided by accent lamps and downlights.