Practically Perfect

Not many homeowners can look at an empty shell and see the potential, but that’s exactly what pilots LISA and BEN GRANT found in their Shui Hau village house on Lantau Island. After a full renovation, this comfortable, country-style home shows what happens when Scandi cool meets DIY design.

- Brooke Chenoweth

When you travel for a living, it’s important to find a place you really feel at home in. After living in Soho on Staunton Street when they first moved to Hong Kong 14 years ago, Ben and Lisa have spent the last 12 years on Lantau.

Island life

Ben is Australian and Lisa is Swedish, and Lantau offered something that appealed to both of them. Lisa says, “It was fun to have lived in the city, but we knew it wasn’t for us in the long run; we liked the Lantau lifestyle and Shui Hau represented more value for money.

“After living here for a while, we’ve grown to love it. The expat community is constantly growing and we now have many friends we get together with every week. And the locals are friendly too and quite often stop by to have a chat when Ben and I are outside in our little garden – I think they like that we do most of the work ourselves, and they’re probably a bit surprised by it!”

After a brief stint in Sweden, the couple returned to Hong Kong three years ago and got to work renovating what was nothing but a concrete shell. Despite the fact that their jobs keep them busy, Ben and Lisa did a lot of the work themselves, from designing the home’s layout to sourcing fixtures and fittings. They even made some of the furniture!

Their main priority when planning the house was a big kitchen with lots of storage. Lisa says, “We love cooking and my husband has a habit of buying a lot of kitchen utensils and appliances when he is away on trips!”