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Island life

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We have always loved this house because it has a permanently open view,' says interior designer Debi Yeung-Salansy of her Lamma home. 'We don't really see any other houses, just trees and sky from most windows, and a gorgeous view from the roof.'

The three-storey house is in the village of Tai Peng, a short uphill walk from the main village of Yung Shue Wan. Yeung-Salansy and husband Gilles bought the place in 2006, when it was three individual apartments, each 700 sq ft and each with three bedrooms.

'We didn't really need to live in the whole block,' says Yeung-Salansy. 'So we decided to rent the ground floor out.' Originally, the couple created a two-storey duplex by knocking out the walls in the internal stairwell, opening up the top floor to create an open-plan sitting room and kitchen area and renovating the master bedroom.

However, when two children became three and the tenants left, the couple decided to reclaim their space.

'We knocked down everything on the ground floor,' says Yeung-Salansy. 'It was so completely open that our neighbours thought we were making a garage!'

When it came to planning the space, the family's lifestyle was paramount. 'We love having friends around and we have lots of parties,' says Yeung-Salansy. 'Both Gilles and I love cooking, so an open-plan kitchen with a big dining area was a must.'

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