Hassan Abdullah works his glam magic on a house in London

Listening to Hassan Abdullah speak, you wouldn't think any house on earth would be big enough for his ideas. The man thinks big, he thinks bold, and it shows. This four-level house in London is a feast for the eyes - the designer wanted to mix different periods and styles, cater to both adult guests and children, showcase each of the homeowners' cultures, not to mention making it eco-friendly. What makes this all particularly impressive is that the homeowners had essentially let Abdullah and his imagination run wild.

"They basically gave me carte blanche and just loved everything I bought and made for them," the designer says. He explains that in the beginning, he interviewed the couple - Yen Sum was a Chinese-Malaysian senior partner at a London law firm and Alistair Graham was an accountant on sabbatical leave - to find out what their likes and dislikes were and to discuss design preferences. In the end, however, they preferred to let him call the shots - "right down to the bed linen".

"I realised they were quite brave in terms of textures, patterns and contrasting styles. I was going for grown-up, glamorous, eclectic and chic, without it being too bling," he says, explaining that he did want to keep in mind the fact that it was the couple's first proper house, and they needed it to be both adult-appropriate and child-friendly for the sake of their son, Hugo. "They wanted an interesting house that was comfortable, where they could entertain family, friends and clients, but of course it also had to be child-friendly," Abdullah says.

He suggested that the family had a more formal living room for entertaining and a family room where they could all relax, watch TV, and Hugo could play with his friends. The garden was also key.

"I love the garden as it's really inviting and it's a great place for Hugo to play with his friends," Abdullah says, adding that he also maximised on the versatile space by including a living wall, a shaded area for relaxation, and a water feature.

Abdullah was keen to include design features that spoke to the homeowners' varied backgrounds and quirky interests. "They are a mixed race couple and I wanted to bring in both the Asian and European backgrounds," he says. "I incorporated some Chinese brush paintings that were painted by my client's father, who is an artist."

He even surprised them with two portraits of Yoda and Darth Vader, knowing that they were big Star Wars fans. These large paintings now hang pride of place in their house, one on each end of the living room. While these would have looked odd or out of place in another home, they fit in surprisingly well here given Abdullah's bold design scheme throughout the house.