Contemporary, timeless but also cosy: Hong Kong home of 30 years was ‘hard to leave’ – so couple chose to completely renovate it instead
- The Leung family could not bear to leave their four-bedroom flat in Tai Tam after decades of living there, so they found a designer to perform a rescue mission
- Jessica Lee brightened the interior, adding smart-home functionality and Italian designer brands in a palette of green and blue to reflect the colours outside
Three decades is a long time to live in, and love, a home.
So, even though their four-bedroom flat in Tai Tam, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, was no longer quite fit for purpose, the Leung family could not bear to leave. Designer Jessica Lee Yi-chi was enlisted to perform a rescue mission.
“We moved in in 1991, when our son was five and our daughter was one year old,” Ching, a housewife, says of the 1,700 sq ft (158 square metre) flat, which was new at the time.
Many times since their children graduated, the couple “seriously considered” moving.
“However, despite having viewed many potential properties, some indeed quite promising, there was always something that made it hard for us to leave,” says Chi, a retired accounting professional.
“After calling it home for so many years, we have really grown to appreciate the environment in this part of Hong Kong Island, especially with the views of Tai Tam Bay right outside our windows.”