Nautical-inspired Hong Kong flat reflects owners’ passion for diving

Patience is a virtue when it comes to acquiring property in Hong Kong. For years, Tai Kok Tsui natives Gloria and Alan Wong had coveted a particular 1,000 sq ft flat in the area. The unit’s location was convenient: above Olympic MTR station, it would be within easy reach of his IT job and her audit post. Its size was generous: the couple, who are avid divers, needed ample storage for all their gear plus a home office. And its aspect was excep­tional: because the residence faces west and is on a high floor, it boasts views towards Lantau Island and the occasional glorious sunset. So when the unit came to the market last year, they pounced.

After obtaining the keys, however, the couple realised the flat needed a designer’s touch to become their dream home. Because the living area and kitchen were at a 45-degree angle to three bedrooms and three bathrooms, there were awkward leftover spaces where the two portions met. They found their man on Facebook. “We liked [Andy Wan Yin-on’s] style,” Alan says. “Clean, contemporary.”

“The brief was to provide a simple design with a lot of storage,” says Wan, design director at Pure AW’s Designers, who came up with the idea of improving the flow by removing a triangular storage space between the living area and a bedroom. He also gave the interior – which now com­prises a bedroom with en suite bathroom, a study and a guest bathroom – a stream­lined, nautical look, apt because of his clients’ hobby.

“The first time I saw the space, I knew that curves would be ideal to elongate horizontal sight lines to the view,” Wan says. Which is why he designed a low white sideboard that runs from the entrance to the living room window, with wall-hung cabinets above in blue.