"In each home I've had, the first thing I did on moving in was have internal walls removed and open staircases installed to free up the space."

Her colourful but uncluttered city pad reflects this successful businesswoman's own lively personality. (Halina runs her own beauty chain of Advanced Cosmetic Surgery clinics. ) Not for her the safe blandness of a neutral colour scheme throughout.

Pokey living areas, cramped dining rooms, or the concept of the 'good room' of old . . . which no-one ventured into without removing their shoes . . . are also definite nonos.

A native Yorkshire lass, she remembers growing up in a family of six in the small, traditional Coalboard house typically alotted to miners.

As such, space is the final frontier for her.

Getting the internal layout right from the start was her first project when she moved into her new apartment, which has stunning sea views from its rooftop garden. With several walls banished, along with wooden floors (too boring), Halina set about creating a more social, open-plan space.

The first radical space alteration was in Halina's own bedroom.

Originally two small bedrooms, the dividing wall and fitted wardrobes were removed. The door to the ensuite was replaced with a beaded curtain with little hand-crafted crochet flowers.

Elsewhere, pretty screens are used to define space and add visual drama. The double-height ceiling in the red kitchen gives an airy feel to the space, while one kitchen wall doesn't entirely stretch to the ceiling, thereby borrowing light from the bright open living room above.

The entire top floor is fully openplan, with two lime-green upholstered chaise longue sofas among an eclectic mix of furniture . . . demonstrating why one big room allows for more generous seating arrangements.

To one side is an L-shaped bank of black leather sofas placed against the half wall rising from below. Glazed French doors lead to the roof terrace.

The truly modern is favoured over the traditional as much as possible.

"Conventional radiators have a way of making a room looked cramped . . . I invested in more contemporary, vertical radiators that are a design feature in their own right."

It's not difficult to get it right when reconfiguring interior space, insists Halina. All you need is imagination . . . and the right tools.

"When I get a new property, the first thing I do is head to B&Q and put a little tool kit together. Then I'm ready to get cracking. . . ."