Home: Reflection of Taste

As a fashion designer,Angela Lam Gladstone is practised in the art of stylish illusion. A judicioususe of light and space has transformed the Mid-levels home she shares with herhusband Michael and son Daniel into an elegant refuge that feels spacious andintimate and reflects the family's travels in the region. Designed by Gladstoneto be comfortable, practical and stylish, and implemented by contractors fromBeautiful Interior Design and Engineering Company, the 2000-square-foot flat has recently undergone its secondoverhaul under her creative direction.

“The first time, we gutted it, turning afour-bedroom apartment with no balcony into a two-bedroom apartment with asmall balcony,^M Gladstone explains. "But then our needs changedand after looking everywhere in a real-estate market gone mad, we decided tostay here. Now we have a three-bedroom apartment with no wasted areas."Relying on innovative connecting spaces, the flat has special-use areas thatare important to Gladstone. " I like that when weentertainwe cango from our separate dining area after  dinner into a distinct sitting area for coffee."

The flat radiates from thefoyer, which is dominated by a large, round ceiling mirror that adds an ample upper tier to what was formerly a larger space. Gladstone created a guest room out of the foyer by adding two walls at a right angle to the front door. The new foyer wall, lined with shelving, doubles as a storage unit for her shoes. To the left is a rectangular living area brightened by floor-to-ceiling windows that direct sunlight to a .wall of mirrors. The sunlight complements the glow from the recessed lighting created by dropping the original 3.5-metre ceilings to 2.5 metres throughout the flat. The small balcony, with wood flooring framed by a border of smooth grey stones, flows from the living area.

On the other side of the main wall in theliving room, off the foyer, is the master bedroom. Using muted glass on thesliding doors of the built-in closets lining the back of the room, Gladstonewas able to create a visually arresting storage area. " I'm used towalk-in closets, ” she explains, “so I wanted to see my clothes and make theroom look more modern and colourful.w The curved three-quarter wall in front ofthe closets creates a corridor between the sleeping area and the closets and aspace for family photos.

The master bathroom was two bathrooms.Combined, it is a generous and aesthetically pleasing space from which to startand end the day. The bathroom also serves as a passage to Daniel's bedroom,“He's young, sol wanted him to share the bathroom with us," Gladstonesays.

The corridor to the right of the foyerleads to the converted guest room, dining room, study and kitchen. Previouslypart of a bedroom, the dining room is highlighted by a wall of mirrors overlaidwith lattice to camouflage the doors to the guest toilet and bathroom installedat one end of the dining room. Next to the mirror and lattice feature is thestudy, which, Gladstone says, "she snuck in” by tucking it behind thedining area and “detaching" it with sliding-glass doors that enclose or expose he compact,functional area.

 Gladstone admits going “crazy” with thekitchen design in the first renovation, so she  did not modify it.The room was enlarged and reconfigured with a central island. The   kitchenis anchored by a wall of custom-designed, paned windows overlooking trees."                                                                        

We spend a lot of time here so it needs to work for us," says Gladstone. "I feel very happy here; we have a new housewithout moving."