A Hong Kong microflat uses creativity to make the most of the space and the view
American financer John Dickson’s art deco-inspired, 376 sq ft apartment overlooks PMQ and contains plenty of hidden storage
American financer John Dickson had a contradictory set of requirements for the design of his 376 sq ft flat in Central. He wanted it to be modern but traditional, clean but colourful, and when he was in, he wanted to see out.
“The apartment has an open view of Central and, because it overlooks PMQ, that won’t change. I wanted to make the most of the view,” he says. “I wanted to be able to see out all the way through the flat. I didn’t want to feel claustrophobic. I wanted it to be modern but not ultra-modern. I can’t bear stark, all-white designs.”
After 18 years in Hong Kong, he had plenty of possessions to accommodate and not a lot of space. So interior designer Max Lam Tsz-hong, of Max Lam Designs, had something of a puzzle on his hands. Making all the pieces fit came down to planning.
“We talked through the way [John] lives and what he wanted: plenty of storage, a lot of books and to display his art,” Lam says. “He was happy to make compromises, like having a countertop instead of a table. As a client, he was open-minded. He trusted us.”
We positioned the sofa in the centre of the living space, with the television between the windows instead of against the end wall [...] It improves the flow of the space
When the building was originally built, in 1994, the flat had three tiny bedrooms. Over the years, three had become one, but Lam opened up the space even further, knocking out almost all the walls to let in more light and the view. The only window overlooking the harbour (the rest look out at Central’s high-rises) is a small corner pane that was originally in the bathroom. By moving the bathroom wall, Lam was able to amalgamate it into the open-plan kitchen.
