Any flat flipper will know that handsome kitchens add value to homes. I don't intend to sell my place in the near future but as a typical Hongkonger I can't help but consider my return on investment. That was before I checked out the options.
Without considering what appliances I'd need to be a gourmet chef, I debated the layout with my friends. 'I want an open, sociable kitchen,' I told Susan.
'Why not have an enclosed room for Chinese cooking and one of those open Poggenpohl kitchens for show?'
'You mean for sex?' I said, recalling the company's TV advert, which has a love-struck owner stroking her worktop wantonly before the word 'desire' flashes over her alluring drawers.
Even though a brand-name kitchen was beyond my reach I visited colour.living to see how the other half cooks. Soft lighting, tactile materials and surfaces bigger than pool tables depressed me.
I had a mere 100 square feet of space and a budget that had scared away one contractor: he didn't return my calls after I revealed a ceiling of HK$50,000.