Space maximisation in a small apartment: walls replaced by partitions, bed doubles as desk, corridor becomes an en suite bathroom and the kitchen is split in 2
- When an architect and his wife bought their Hong Kong home they vowed to one day redesign it; 17 years later they began work on the two-bedroom, 499 sq ft flat
- They replaced all the non-structural walls with storage spaces that double as partitions, split the kitchen either side of the entryway, and added an en suite
Aspect may not be the most obvious selling point for property in Hong Kong but it helped Eric Lonnman and his wife, Tracy Wong Wai-ping, choose their flat in Mei Foo Sun Chuen in Kowloon.
Large southeast-facing windows helped.
“We liked the flat because it has a very good orientation in terms of the lighting,” says Lonnman, an American who taught architecture at Chinese University for 22 years, until 2020. “It doesn’t get the harsh afternoon sun, it gets the nice morning light.”
Situated in Hong Kong’s first large-scale private housing estate, which was completed from 1968 to 1978, the 499 sq ft (46 square metre) unit was otherwise an average two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat with a small living room and even tinier kitchen, relegated to a corner.
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In 2004, two years after they started renting the flat, the couple bought the property from their landlord, and vowed one day to redo the interiors.
“The space had just been refurbished before we moved in, but it felt quite old,” says Lonnman. “We really had to change everything.”
The compact space and the tailor-made furniture remind me of a unique hotel room
That meant opening things up, choosing materials and colours to enhance a small flat, and scrutinising every usable inch.
Finally, in 2021, Lonnman began redesigning the flat, working out how he would replace all non-structural walls with more usable partitions, turn two cramped bedrooms into one multifunctional space and repurpose a corridor as an en suite bathroom.
Despite sacrificing her office in the refurbishment, Wong, an administrator in a higher education institution who occasionally works from home, did not lose a dedicated workspace. Lonnman designed a bed that doubles as a partition and a desk on the other side.
“The compact space and the tailor-made furniture remind me of a unique hotel room,” says Wong.
The kitchen proved more challenging, however. Although now the project’s pièce de résistance, the space had many false starts.
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“We couldn’t go with how the kitchen was back in that little corner,” says Lonnman. “I tried so many different schemes; I had different people giving me advice; I even went to kitchen designers to see what they would say. In the end, I figured out that the best way was to split it into two parts on either side of the entranceway corridor.”
This unusual plan was inspired by a layout that designer Gary Chang Chee-keung, from Edge Design Institute, devised for the renovation of his own 344 sq ft Hong Kong flat.
To optimise the small footprint, Chang split the kitchen in two and positioned it on either side of the entryway to create more space for the flat’s living areas.
Although Lonnman was not convinced at first, eventually he saw its advantages: the new layout would allow him to even out the living room, making it a neat rectangle.
Additionally, by creating large openings in the walls separating the kitchen and living areas, he could seamlessly connect both areas.
Every tiny detail counts if you’re trying to make the space as efficient and as spacious as it can possibly be
Lack of storage space was another challenge. To solve the problem and to maximise space, he separated the living room and the bedroom with two-way wardrobes that take the place of walls.
“There’s no full partition walls, except for the bathroom,” says Lonnman. “The rest is all cabinet walls that can be opened on both sides.”
On completion of the structural renovation, Lonnman and Wong enlisted a local contractor with whom they collaborated for a further six months to realise the interior of their new home.
Together, they selected wood veneers for the cabinetry, the free-standing bed and desk unit and other built-in pieces, all of which were manufactured in prefabricated pieces in mainland China.
To complement the light-toned material palette, they opted for pale kitchen counters and cabinetry and bright laminate flooring to maximise light reflection.
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Since the completion of the flat – in early 2022 – Lonnman has launched his own design firm, Studio 12, which focuses on residential interiors.
Looking back at the redesign of his home, his biggest takeaway, he says, is the necessity of meticulous planning when it comes to small spaces.
“You need to design every single square centimetre, from the exact positioning of the walls and the dimensions of cabinets, to the combination of materials and the lighting,” he says.
“Every tiny detail counts if you’re trying to make the space as efficient and as spacious as it can possibly be.”
Kitchen
Laid out symmetrically on either side of the entrance corridor are the two sides of the kitchen, one with the cooking appliances, the other accommodating the sink, fridge and microwave.
A made-to-order stainless-steel shelf from Tin Dragon Metal Works (King Moon Heights, 25-39 Tit Shu Street, Tai Kok Tsui, tel: 2749 9079) is at the same height as the exhaust hood on the other side, reinforcing the symmetry.
At the far end of the corridor, hidden niches conceal a shoe cabinet and a foldable wooden seat (see Tried + tested below).
The kitchen hood was bought, along with other kitchen appliances, from a Miele factory sale in Kwai Chung (shop.miele.hk). The sink is from Hop Hing Lung Material (235 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2511 3013).
Living room
The living room is accessed through a corridor between the two halves of the open kitchen. The windows were enlarged to maximise natural light.
The couch and coffee table both came from Ikea (ikea.com.hk). On the coffee table are wooden bowls picked up in Costa Rica.
The flooring throughout most of the flat is wood laminate from Sunwood Building Material (Shop B5, Kam Koon Building, 308 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2827 0990).
Dining area
Opposite the couch, a dining table is paired with two dining chairs, all from Ikea. The decorative wooden screen came from a shop in Macau many years ago.
Bedroom and home office
A custom-made, free-standing unit in light wood veneer combines the bed (with storage space in the base), the desk and a partition, which doubles as a bookshelf. Behind the office space are two-sided built-in cabinets, which can also be opened from the living room.
Throughout the flat, a smart-lighting system with a mix of LED (from Pro Lighting, 38 Bute Street, Lee Fat Building, Phase 1, Mong Kok, tel: 2997 5011) and track lights (from Sun Kwong Electrical, Flat 20, UG/F, Block D, Wah Lok Industrial Centre, 31 Shan Mei Street, Fo Tan, tel: 2698 3601) can be controlled through a smartphone app.
Bedroom detail
Next to the swing door separating the living space from the bedroom, built-in grey veneer cabinets are used as wardrobes and to conceal a washing machine. The ceiling is slightly recessed over part of the room to demarcate the areas.
The sconces on the extended bedhead are from I Home Lighting (632A Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, tel: 3184 0681).
Bathroom
Dark floor tiles contrast with the white fixtures (installed by contractor Li Yong-fu, from Wing Ping Decoration, tel: 6855 7328). The raised floor accommodates pipes. Opposite the shower is a door to a small balcony.
The toilet is from Kohler (shop.kohler.com.hk), the basin from Duravit (duravit.com) and the shower set from Hansgrohe (hansgrohe.com).
Tried + tested
Styling: Flavia Markovits
