Interior designers can be a godsend for clients who don't trust their own judgment. But when it comes to renovating their own homes, designers can be their own worst enemy: some never see a project as being completed, obsessively tweaking their labour of love; others, working without tailored shortlists, take an eternity to make choices.
Not Nathalie Edwards, of Life Styling Ltd.
'Unfortunately,' she jokes, 'I intrinsically know what I want and I make decisions quickly. The only problem is ... I won't stop until I actually find what I'm looking for.'
A case in point is the flooring of the 1,650 sq ft two-bedroom apartment in Pok Fu Lam she shares with her husband and young son. Before even finding the flat, Edwards, who moved into interior design from a career in fashion, had decided on a high-contrast colour scheme. Plenty of natural light and a light floor were necessary, she says, so she could 'play with dark elements in terms of furnishings, wall colours or cabinetry finishes'.
Initially, Edwards, who hails from South Africa, considered white wooden flooring.
'I worried that it would yellow,' she says. 'I also worried it would be too beach house-y, and this is not a beach house.'