Mayfair by the Sea 8, Modern Home Issue 535

The text below is a translation of the original Modern Home feature.

This HOMES feature (words by Wing, images courtesy of Artwill Interior Design House) follows the makeover of a roughly 700-square-foot saleable flat at Mayfair By the Sea 8 in Pak Shek Kok, Tai Po. The owners are a couple, and their main reason for buying was to win more breathing room for themselves and the family cat. The home came as a three-bedroom, but the kitchen footprint was just as tight, so Regina Kwok began with the plan and re-laid the layout from scratch.

Two of the small bedrooms were taken down, and the freed-up space, about a hundred square feet, was shared between the living zone and the master. The long, narrow living room became an L-shape, and the dining area was moved behind the sofa so the circulation flows more easily and gets in the way of neither the owners nor the cat. As the spot where the couple linger most, the dining table is backed by a tall cabinet whose open mid-section holds a coffee machine and tableware, so making a drink or taking afternoon tea no longer means a trip into the kitchen.

The whole flat runs on a retro British theme with plenty of dark tones, yet two floor-to-ceiling windows in the living zone, helped by daylight and considered lighting, keep the rooms from feeling gloomy or boxed in; warm and cool tones settle into an easy harmony. With working from home now part of city life, the former dining spot was turned into the husband's reading and work corner, anchored by a full-height bookcase. In the bedrooms, the master was merged with the room next door, a half-height headboard screens off an open walk-in wardrobe, and the master bath was widened with a zigzag partition for a fuller sense of British grandeur.

Through colour and material rather than square footage alone, Regina Kwok turns this two-person, one-cat home into a British-style flat that is both practical and poised. To see how each space was handled in detail, visit the full project page on the Artwill site.

Originally published by Modern Home, Issue 535 . January 2023