Some people shy away from colourful homes. Not Tarlan Amigh, whose duplex is a vibrant nest replete with paintings, pictures, ikebana, children's toys and more. Multihued polka- dot carpets cover the floor, turquoise Chinese-style cabinets house crockery, Aboriginal art graces the staircase and recycled catering tins redolent of yesteryear provide extra seating in a living area that boasts postcard views of hills and sea.
The 2,800 sq ft Mid-Levels apartment wasn't always this full of life. Before Amigh, an Australian of Iranian heritage, made it home eight years ago, the flat was occupied solely by her then boyfriend, now husband.
'It was very sparse: it had one sofa and a TV,' she says. 'I moved in and we started accumulating; then the children came.'
The couple's collection of art and accessories includes items borne of Amigh's creativity, such as old black-and-white bus destination signs from Sydney, where she lived before moving to Hong Kong, and blooms and branches from the flower market in striking Japanese-style arrangements.
'I remember, when I was young, my mum going into the yard and coming back with what to me looked like a leaf and a twig,' Amigh says. 'She would turn it into something amazing and make the space feel warmer.'
Not for her are look-but-don't-touch homes that wow but come across as cold and impersonal.