How smart interior design gave a 420 sq ft Hong Kong apartment the wow factor and turned it into a cosy home perfect for entertaining
- A first-home buyer kept costs to a minimum when it came to renovating her 420 sq ft flat in Sheung Wan
- Among the ‘fast, economical’ renovation tricks were a mirrored wall to give the illusion of a bigger kitchen and wardrobes that take the place of a wall
Two minutes into an inspection of the first property on her list, first-home buyer Emma Maclean knew this was the one.
The third-floor flat in Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, broke one of her self-imposed golden rules: nothing below the fifth floor.
But the building’s being set back from the street meant there wasn’t the traffic noise Maclean had feared – just the happy sounds of children larking about in the adjacent playground. And the flat had light – lots of it – courtesy of bay windows on opposite sides facing open views, and two smaller windows in between, drawing in light from a third direction.
“I’m a sucker for two things: good location and good light,” she says. “As long as you have both, you can do anything with it.”
Born in Taiwan and raised in Hong Kong, Maclean was educated in Australia, staying on to study interior design along with her twin, Caitlin.
“There were almost 3,000 applications for 60 places at the University of Technology Sydney, and we both got in,” she says.
