This house at Fairview Park, situated at the tranquil northwest end of New Territories, is home to a couple, together with their dog and helper. It is love at first sight when the owners become aware of the house through visits to their family and relatives in Yuen Long, who live merely a short stroll away from the property. When they decide to purchase a weekend home, the house springs instantly to their mind.
“The design concept has a simple goal in mind: a cottage that doubles as a social space to entertain relatives and friends,” says Clifton Leung, Chief Designer of Clifton Leung Design Workshop, the design firm at the helm of the renovation.
A large private residential estate built in 1976 out in Yuen Long, Fairview Park is as close to true suburbia as one can get in Hong Kong. Its residents live in neatly arranged low-rise houses – each one complete with front and backyards. At some 20 years old, the property’s structure has never been touched before the couple buys it. To transform it into a modern French-style cottage home that makes the most of its picturesque hillside locale – as envisioned by the team – isn’t an easy task.
The team approaches it by first revamping the entire 1,000-sq. ft. 2-storey house. This includes gutting everything from the inside out – pipes, wiring, windows, etc – and redoing the layout. Perhaps most notably, the original three bedrooms on the first floor are converted into one continuous loft-like space comprised of the master bedroom, master bathroom and study room. The master bedroom leading directly into a corridor takes its cues from the open bathroom typically found in plush hotel rooms.
