With the agreement of the landlord, Macak had all the woodwork repainted, including the balustrades, doors and built-in cabinetry. The walls were also given a fresh coat of paint or papered and new flooring was installed.

“We laid vinyl flooring on top of the wood so it’s easy to remove, like lifting carpet, as we have to reinstate the floor when [the Solloways] move out,” Macak says.

The kitchen was also given a makeover, with the cabinets covered in removable grey vinyl film and antique brass handles installed, and the lighting updated.

“I love to bake with the children and the island makes the kitchen very ‘cookable’,” says Sabrina.

But the biggest transformation was on the second floor, where a wall between two bedrooms was knocked out to create a large master suite, with a sitting area, walk-through wardrobe and en-suite bathroom.

A wall on the lower ground floor was also demolished to make way for a reno­vated 1940s bar from Italy – complete with marble counter and a section of parquet flooring – which forms the focus of the entertaining area.

“We fell in love with the bar but it didn’t quite fit, so we knocked out the wall. We had to take the bar apart to get it down the stairs, but it was worth it,” Macak says.

Other pieces were designed by Macak and custom made in China to fit the large space. These include a four-metre-long marble-and-veneer dining table, dusty-pink breakfast bench and peacock-coloured sideboard. The turquoise green is picked up in the baize of the pool table, a relic of Solloway’s bachelor days, and the velvet bar-stool seats; the muted pink reappears in the dining chairs, the terrace cushions and an installation of spray-painted Vietnamese fishing baskets under the pergola.

“Their last place was mostly in greens and blues; this time they wanted warmer accents,” Macak says. “They wanted mod­ern chic, a little bit tropical but with an easy feel – light, open and with a strong charac­ter, lots of plants, a bit of brass. Not too matchy-matchy. Sabrina and I know each other well and we worked via Pinterest.”

Helping to create a tropical vibe is the statement wallpaper: a palm-leaf print beside the staircase and flamingoes in the ground-floor guest bathroom. In the living area on the same level, a foosball table and Sabrina’s piano identify the space as a family hang-out. The decor is more tranquil, with a neutral palette enlivened with brightly coloured pieces, including a pink cabinet and tufted benches in purple and red leather. A wall-sized art­work by Chun Kwang Young is constructed from Korean doctors’ prescriptions, folded into origami parcels and dyed indigo.

“We bought it in London, where we had a lot of art. We left most of it in storage, because Hong Kong’s weather is not very art-friendly,” Sabrina says.

On the first floor, an entire wall of framed family photographs sets a homey, cosy tone for the bedrooms on the second floor. While the master suite is a sophis­ticated oasis, Macak had fun with the children’s rooms, which are on the same level. The couple’s six-year-old daughter revels in a princess-perfect room, complete with muslin-draped four-poster bed, doll’s house and fluffy white bench. Things are more industrial in their eight-year-old son’s room, which Macak decorated with raw brick wallpaper and distressed metal furniture.

“Our son wanted a massive blow-up picture of himself as a mural, but we talked him into the bricks instead,” Sabrina says. “He likes it – it’s cool.”

Kitchen To update the tired kitchen, Can Workshop covered the cabinets in 3M grey vinyl film (HK$25,000) and installed vintage brass handles (HK$120 each).

Dining room The marble and wood-veneer dining table (HK$98,000) and peacock-green lacquered sideboard (HK$58,000) were designed by Macak and custom made by Can Workshop. The Isabelle dining chairs by Saba Italia (HK$7,390 each) and Glass Drop pendant lamps by Diesel with Foscarini (HK$5,250 each) were from Brand Equity.

The floor lamp (HK$9,900) was from Ovo Home. The artwork, American Tan X, by British artist Gary Hume, came from Seymours Art Advisors.

Bar The vintage Italian bar, complete with marble top and parquet flooring, and the reupholstered vintage bar stools (HK$25,000 for the whole set, bar included) were sourced by Brand Equity. The pen-and-ink artwork, Alla Verdi (1924), is by German artist George Grosz (1893-1959).

Main suite Two bedrooms were knocked into one to create the master suite, with sleeping and dressing areas, a walk-through wardrobe and a bathroom. Above the chest of drawers, which has been with the family for years, is a work by Grosz.

The dressing table (HK$59,000), brass-framed mirror and lights (HK$18,000 in total) and wall shelves (HK$12,000) were designed by Macak and custom made by Can Workshop. The Cloè lounge chair (HK$23,000) and Rondo ottoman (HK$27,800 large; HK$10,500 small) are by Black Tie and came from Brand Equity.

Guest bathroom In the ground-floor washroom, Can Workshop repainted the existing sink unit and custom-made the mirror and light fitting (HK$16,400 in total). The Flamingo Lake wallpaper was US$49 per double roll from Wallpaper Direct.

Daughter’s bedroom The Avalon canopy bed with trundle (US$2,349), faux fur bench (US$579), floor lamp (US$775) and steamer trunk dresser and topper set (US$269) were all from Restoration Hardware. The floral artwork was a gift.

Tried + tested

Basket case Adding colour and interest to the terrace is an installation of wire fishing baskets hanging from the pergola. “We sourced them in Vietnam and had them sprayed pink to match the cushions on the outdoor sofas,” Radovan Macak says.