Interior designer EMMA HURLSTON-TSENG shares the secrets behind the serene South Bay apartment she has created for Libby Vaughan, founder of the Cambodian Children’s Fund Hong Kong (CCF).
You’ve created such a tranquil oasis out of a standard Hong Kong apartment. How easy is it to turn a rented space into a proper home?
There’s so much you can do to make your rented space feel unique, homelike and personal to you. Your first task is to think about the mood and feel you want to evoke. Libby had previously lived in a house with dark parquet floors, and a great deal of dark wood furniture. She wanted to move to something lighter and airier, in tune with this sea-view apartment, where space flowed more freely.
She loves green, and so we built the colour scheme around a peaceful palette of sage, moss, lime, soft blue, grey and cream, echoing the hues in her artworks, and using the fabric from a couple of existing chairs as a reference. The finished apartment has a very soothing, relaxing feel.
What are some other considerations to keep in mind?
It’s important to think carefully about how you’re going to use the space. Besides needing a more open-style floor plan for her growing boys, Libby loves entertaining at home. She wanted a flexible cocktail space because she generally serves canapés rather than a sit-down starter, so we created a spacious area with seating that was easy to move around, and found a dining table with an extra pop-up leaf that will easily seat 10. A good designer will often ask detailed questions about the way a client uses their home: usually, people haven’t articulated it even to themselves!
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Esta historia es de la edición August - September 2016 de EL Hong Kong.
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