Inside an athlete’s first home, a Hong Kong town house in the sky
Light-filled interiors, city and harbour views and a private exercise terrace make perfect eyrie for an ultra trail runner
“I had been flat hunting for a few months but this one stood out as it matched all of my criteria – its views, its outdoor areas and its light, spacious feel,” says French-Cambodian Leng, who has been living in Hong Kong for a decade. “Its proximity to the Morning Trail, which I run almost daily, was a bonus.”
And that is just the basics. Leng’s running teammate Elsa Jean de Dieu introduced him to French architect Damienne Joly, of Atelierd&l, and the project took off.
The existing decor was tired and not to Leng’s taste and although he didn’t have a specific vision, he worked with Joly to develop several broad themes.
“I’m an outdoors lover, so I wanted the flat to make the most of the mountain and sea views, and bring in as much light as possible,” he says.
He also wanted a large living space for entertaining his trail running friends and teammates – his Hong Kong family. Joly decided to strip the flat back to its bare bones and start again. This wasn’t a case of simply knocking down a few partition walls: all the windows were replaced – for gridded glass with larger panes to maximise the views – as was a cumbersome staircase.