“It was a very small kitchen, which is why we decided to open it,” says Fronza Quites. “After we removed the wall I loved that the sun came through to the dining room, which was much darker before.”

Fronza Quites and her husband took it upon themselves to add the finishing touches. In the living room, they clad one of the walls in dark imitation wood, adding a rustic touch. The wall extends towards the kitchen, where under-counter cabinets have wooden doors in a similar shade.

The initial plan was to use real wood, but that would have proved difficult to mount on a concrete wall. “So we went to Lockhart Road, spent some days there researching materials and found something that looks like wood but isn’t,” says Fronza Quites. The faux wood is made of a composite that can be glued onto the wall.

The biggest challenge was refurbishing the kitchen. Although the couple had hired a contractor to knock down a wall and create a breakfast bar between the kitchen and dining room, they soon realised it was too high. That required them to redo it themselves. They then replaced all of the kitchen cupboard doors. “They were shorter and now they’re longer,” which adds the illusion of height, says Fronza Quites.

They also installed a wood floor on the balcony to make it feel like another room. “It’s tiny, but we use the balcony a lot,” says Fronza Quites. “We love barbecues, especial­ly this time of the year, when it’s not so hot. The sun is there almost the whole day.”

In both the main bedroom and their son’s, the couple built a set of drawers that sits atop the bay windowsill. To see over the drawers and out the window, which has a view of the sea and mountains, Fronza Quites commission­ed an extra-high bed with hydraulic storage underneath. “I can see the Disneyland fireworks from my window if I’m in bed,” she says with a laugh.

When it came to furniture and art, Fronza Quites took a casual approach, collecting bits and pieces as she travelled around China, Thailand, Cambodia and Brazil, as well as crocheting her own decor­ative objects. A metal mandala hangs in the dining area while two crocheted man­dalas adorn the main bedroom. “I like that [the mandala] brings a little more sun into my home,” says Fronza Quites.

It all adds up to an apartment that feels unmistakably her own. “I like it to feel cosy,” she says. “I like to look around and appreciate what I have on the walls, the textures of everything I have. You know, as expats, when we move from our country, it’s important to have a place where we really feel comfortable and at home.”

Living room The sofa was found on a Facebook page for Discovery Bay residents leaving Hong Kong. The cabinet beneath the television was purchased years ago, from Zhuhai, as was the painting of a farm, bought in Beijing.

Kitchen The cabinetry was custom made for HK$50,000 by Yick Tai Timber (344 Portland Street, Mong Kok, tel: 2390 4011). The limited-edition wooden round tray (HK$499) came from Ikea years ago.

Main bedroom The bed and cabinets in the bay window were custom made by a shop since closed. The cushions were from H&M (HK$250 each), as was the grey blanket (HK$460). The bedside lamps were bought in Los Angeles for US$80 each. The nightstands came from a previous home.

Balcony The wicker chairs (HK$300 each) were from Ikea, and the table came from Zhuhai a long time ago. The bowl on the lower shelf is an antique from Brazil. The wood floors were sourced from Lockhart Road years ago.

Tried + tested

How do you hide an ugly air conditioner? Venetian blinds. In her son’s room, Leila Fronza Quites ordered a set for the bay window and a separate set for the wall housing the air conditioner and a small window beneath it. “When it’s closed it looks like another window – you can’t tell what’s there,” she says. “And when you use the air con you don’t have to open the blinds completely.”