A Classic View

Aussie expat VICTORIA ALLAN has taken inspiration from her hometown in Western Australia in the design of her Stanley home.

- Melissa Stevens

Luxury property specialist Victoria Allan, founder of Habitat Property, developed such an affection for one of the homes she listed in Stanley she ended up buying the house herself! The home has proven to be a great choice for Victoria and her two sons, aged three and five, and their new dog, Spike. Since buying the house seven years ago, she has renovated the property, turning it into a functional, light-filled home.

Why did you come to Hong Kong from Western Australia?

I had a great friend from school who had been living here and she kept asking me to come and visit. Finally, I did, and when I was visiting I decided to do some job interviews. I was offered a job so I moved up three months later, and I’ve been here ever since!

I’ve lived all around the world – during the five years before moving to HK, I lived in Vancouver, Chicago and Sydney.

I set up my business in 2001 as I saw there was a gap in the market to provide a boutique property service in Hong Kong – so few property agencies offer unique properties with interesting design features. When I’ve been looking to buy a home myself, these are always the type of properties that stand out to me.

How did you end up in your current home?

I had the house listed for sale, and probably showed it to around 40 different clients. No one liked it and they couldn’t see the potential. The more I went to the house, the more I liked it, and I started to visualise how I would refurbish it, if it were mine. Eventually I decided that enough was enough! I called the owner and offered to buy it at the price he wanted.

What inspired you to renovate?