An overseas home
Flooring that brought back memories of Europe and a magnificent ocean view were enough to convince one expatriate she had found the perfect apartment.
The unadulterated view of the sea instantly struck a chord with British stylist Lucie McCullough, of Clapp-McCullough Styling, when she walked into what was destined to become her home in Pok Fu Lam. 'It's 200 degrees of sea,' she says. 'Never in my life will I get such a view again.'
The vista impressed her but she was also taken with the flooring, which brought back memories of her life in Europe. 'That tweaked my heartstrings. When I lived in Paris and Milan I always dreamed of having a beautiful town flat with herringbone parquet flooring,' she says. 'I couldn't believe it when I walked into this flat and it had exactly that.'
These two factors were enough to convince McCullough (tel: 6409 3434) she had found the perfect residence for herself, husband Ronan and their dog, Whistler. Because it is a rental, McCullough was loath to embark on a major renovation of the 2,200 sq ft flat. Luckily, the apartment already worked well space-wise. 'Architecturally speaking, the people who designed this flat did a very good job,' she says, gesturing to the long slim living and dining room, a study room off to the side, a triangular balcony and two good-sized bedrooms.
What she did do, however, was work to increase the sense of light and space by painting all the doors and cupboards white. 'Because of the relatively low ceilings these apartments can be dark, in spite of the view, so painting them white has made a big difference,' she says.
As an interior stylist, McCullough spends her days helping others to achieve comfortable and stylish homes, so it's not surprising her own place is a clever blend of the two. It works equally well as a relaxed or formal environment. 'I live and work here so it needed to fit both of those elements yet create a fresh oasis of calm for my husband when he comes home after work or from travels,' she says.
Despite having lived in the apartment for just over a year and bringing very little with her when she moved to Hong Kong, she has created an interior that feels as though it has been put together over a long period of time. It is elegant, fresh and feminine. 'Everything was pretty much custom made here but it doesn't look new or all that Asian,' she says. Hers is a personal approach to design, based on seeking inspiration from her environment and travels, finding new suppliers - often on the internet - and working with them to realise her ideas.
McCullough's creative eye is always on the hunt for interesting pieces. Her collections include an antique-style sofa and a glamorous chaise longue made in Indonesia, a four-poster bed modelled on one seen on her honeymoon in France last year, a white Chinese-style cabinet from Macau and a pair of antique chinoiserie side tables from London.
She likes to test new suppliers - and is often rewarded for her ingenuity. 'For the chaise longue I found someone on Alibaba.com and sent the materials to Indonesia and they sent the finished goods back,' she says. 'I couldn't guarantee it would work, but I trusted them and now I have a relationship with them.'
She also scours markets and local stores for ideas: fun finds include curtain tiebacks made of strings of coral from Hong Kong's jade market; European garden statuary pictures blown up to enormous proportions by a local photo lab and mounted on canvas; duck statues from Beijing's Panjiayuan flea market; and a huge silver bucket, filled with flowers, inspired by a local restaurant but made by a silversmith in India.
McCullough confesses she is a fan of what she calls 'neat clutter'. 'I like things you can see but everything has its place,' she says. She admits to being a fan of stark minimalism in the aesthetic sense but knows she could never achieve it in reality. 'I appreciate minimalism, but in the house I live in that's never going to happen,' she says with a laugh.
5 A palette of black and white defines the bedroom. The four-poster bed is a copy of one seen in France; the antique reproduction armchair (HK$3,000) is from KMJ Furniture and the antique chinoiserie side tables were purchased at auction in London. The black frames (about HK$600 each from Arco Framers, 105 Queens Road East, tel: 2866 8848) feature vintage Yohji Yamamoto advertisements bought in London. The black and white curtains were sourced at the Shenzhen fabric market and cost about HK$1,600. The coral tiebacks were found in the jade market (at Kansu and Battery streets, Yau Ma Tei) and cost about HK$300 each.
7 McCullough decorated a standard bathroom with well-chosen accessories. The parasol used as a lampshade cost HK$50 from Cat Street Market in Central. The floral shower curtain was bought online and cost US$50 from Shower-Curtains.com (tel: 877 228 4927; www. shower-curtains.com). Sheer drapes and potted plants add instant style.
8 In the soothing guest bedroom, the lime-green side tables, HK$2,000 per pair, are from Hing Cheong. The bedside light bases cost HK$768 each from Kings Lighting (76 Morrison Hill Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2892 8867) and the shades cost HK$280 each from Hing Cheong. Above the bed are enlarged photographs of European statuary printed on fabric by Chung Pui Photo Supplies (44 Stanley Street, Central, tel: 2868 4135).
tried & tested
here comes the bride
Lucie McCullough wanted to include her friends in her home. 'I love photos; they are the most important things around me,' she says. 'I particularly like having lots of photos around of all our friends we don't get to see out here.' For this reason she created her 'wedding wall'.
'I love to walk past it before I go to bed and see all my friends on the best day of their lives. It makes me go to sleep with a smile.'
STYLING Esther van Wijck
