This Japan-inspired Tuen Mun flat shows a new method of loft living thanks to its high ceiling

What this diminutive Tuen Mun apartment lacked in floor space it made up for in ceiling height.

Clients Denise Chan, a product designer, and Charles Lee, an office clerk, already had ideas for how to expand the usability of their one-bedroom, 463 sq ft flat bought off the plan in late 2022. With LittleMORE co-founders Eric Liu Chun-man and Ada Wong Sze-wai on board, the couple had gazed up at the three-metre high ceiling and realised, Liu recalls, the potential for “another dimension not limited by the footprint of the unit”. Thus began a project completed in early 2023.

Creating the “room within a room” that the clients had envisaged made sense on many levels. The upper platform could provide a secondary living space for reading or meditation, affording an elevated view across the open-plan flat and the scenery beyond.

Below it, the two metre by 2.3 metre boxlike structure functions as a walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, incorporating purpose-built pockets for accessories as well as larger compartments to keep bulky household items such as spare chairs on hand while out of sight.

Storage was important for the couple, who wanted an organised home, says Liu, and keeping stuff concealed made all the difference in a small apartment where built-in cabinetry, however well designed, risked crowding the space.

Key to pulling off this concept was ensuring that the box addition looked like it was meant to be there, rather than an afterthought. Choosing walnut as the construction material would provide a harmonious contrast to the lighter wood flooring in the developer fit-out. However, the presence of an open kitchen and two large windows limited its location.

Happily, the only logical place was also the best one: at the far end of the living area, beside the flat’s entrance. This enabled a shoe cabinet, an amenity lacking before, to be incorporated within the staircase.