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Liana Cafolla

Michelle Pei, her husband and their two teenage children faced an unusual challenge when it came to kitting out their 3,500 sq ft Mid-Levels apartment. Not only did the space have to be filled in an aesthetically pleasing way,  it also needed to house the family's passion: books.
There are books of all genres  throughout this spacious, elegant home; well-thumbed volumes  constantly being added to by a family of avid readers.
Most of them belong to her husband though, says  Pei,  who's beginning to despair of what to do with the growing  library. There is hardly  any space on the shelves and  piles of books stand on the floor. 
'He is still buying books, but he does actually read them,' she says with a smile.
The children, too, are big readers and their rooms are filled with packed bookshelves. 
In the peaceful study - which also functions as a guest room, guitar room and television room - books are stored in double-density sliding bookshelves (see Tried  +  tested).
But it's the passageway between the living area  and bedrooms that houses  most of the collection. Pei realised  that, in this long,  extra-wide corridor, books could be kept in easy reach and constitute an unusual, attractive and functional feature. 
'I wanted a library flanking the hallway,' she says, eyeing the floor-to-ceiling shelving. 'It would have been  a waste of space [otherwise].'
The rectangular kitchen, stretching back from the dining area, reveals cookery  as being another of Pei's passions. Designed with function  in mind, it contrasts with the textures and antiques in the rest of the home. Large countertops, vast amounts of storage space and dual  food-preparation areas allow the kitchen to be used simultaneously by at least two cooks without either  disturbing the  other.
'I love to cook and  bake,' says Pei, who used a professional kitchen design company.  'I was  clear as to  what I wanted. I wanted two sinks [in separate areas].  I wanted a pull-out pantry area for baking. I wanted two ovens as well, on different sides, so I can spread myself around.' 
The result is a  functional, semi-professional kitchen. But having so much storage space can be problematic, she  says, pulling out one neat  shelf  after another. 
'It's good and bad, because sometimes you forget what you have.'
The dining area is in a corner outside the kitchen. 
'I tend to gravitate towards that area,' says Pei, adding that she often reads at the dining table. 
From here, she can look straight across the living room to the square, plant-lined balcony, where the family often eats.  
The home is furnished with a collection of antique wooden furniture bought in Shanghai, mostly dating from the Republican period (1911-1949), and a vibrant tapestry of rugs.  Together, they create a home full of rich  colours and  interesting textures. 
'I should entertain more but I don't,' Pei says, unapologetically. 'We both travel a lot, so when we're home, we just like to chill out.'
1 The mirror frame is made from bed-frame carvings and was bought in Shanghai. Also from Shanghai are the opium bed and the alcantara-covered slipper chair, which was made to the  owners' design.    
2 Wooden bookshelves line both sides of the wide corridor that leads to the bedrooms and study. They were designed and  built by Ip Interiors  (20/F, Keen Hung Commercial Building, 80 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2399 0508;  www.ipinteriors.com), for HK$9,000 per linear metre. On the floor is  a handmade  Persian rug.   
3 The centrepiece of the study is a couch set against the  wall,  below wooden screens. The couch was bought in Shanghai and reupholstered in Hong Kong. The wood panels were made from window screens from Shanghai. The floor  is covered with a wool  Azeri carpet, handmade in  Armenia. The lamp was bought in Shanghai years ago.  
4 The Peis' teenage daughter transformed her books into a simple but vibrant art statement by placing them together according to the colours of their spines. The bookshelf was made to measure by Ip Interiors.   
5 Patterned wallpaper adds interest to the airy, sparsely furnished master bedroom.  The Romo wallpaper in Lasari Linen cost HK$800 a roll from Wallpaper Plus  (9/F, The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, tel: 3525 1785). The matching bedside lamps were bought in Shanghai years ago.   
6 The walls and floor of the master bathroom are covered in Casa brown marble, costing HK$84 per square foot from Wing Ming Marble  (unit 5, Yue Xiu Building, 160 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai,  tel: 2598 8430). The Sagitta wall lamp cost HK$4,700 from Artemide (1/F, Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street, Central,  tel: 2523 0333).  
7 The round oak dining table and matching chairs are from the Maxalto Simplice Collection, available from Le Cadre Gallery  (11 Duddell Street, tel: 2526 1068). The painting, Native Land 1 by  Bo Yun, was bought from  Zee Stone Gallery (43 Wyndham Street, Central,  tel: 2810 5895). The alabaster and bronze ceiling light came from a shop that has since closed. The bronze Nicolas wall  lamp with silk shade by Porta Romano is one of two that  were bought in London. The Tibetan chest  was bought in Shanghai.   
8 The spacious kitchen was designed to a near-professional level with two food preparation areas, each equipped with sinks and honed Formica stone worktops. The kitchen was designed and fitted by  Kitench (13 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay,  tel: 2836 0280) for HK$400,000, plus HK$380,000 for appliances and accessories. The floor tiles cost HK$98 each from Mosaic Tiles (353 Lockhart Road,  tel: 2116 3002).   
9 The Crisscross pendant light cost HK$28,000 from  Arthur & Company (7/F, Fu Fai Commercial Centre, 27 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2522 3368). The  FontanaArte lamps were bought years ago in Shanghai. Behind the sofa hangs the painting Guilin Landscape - Flying by  Chen Jialing, which was bought from the artist more than 20 years ago. The camphor wood coffee table was made in Shanghai to the owners' design from an carved window screen.
Tried + tested
Double duty 
Finding the study was larger than they needed, the Peis decided to fill the excess space by building double-deep bookcases on both sides of the door. The rear shelves hold less-read books and are accessed by sliding the front shelves. The bookcases were designed and  built by Ip Interiors for HK$12,000.
Styling David Roden



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