The best-laid plans don't always eventuate. But a willingness to be flexible has allowed one Hong Kong Island resident to indulge her love of antiques.
When French-born antiques dealer Rosalind Durand-Ruel moved into her Lan Kwai Fong apartment, she had many fixed ideas about how she wanted it to look. Two years later, the end result differs vastly from her initial plans.
'I've lived in more than 15 flats in Hong Kong - all different styles - and my idea for this place was that it should be minimal and Zen,' she recalls. 'I wanted all new things in it and to begin with I honestly had nothing in it - but now look.'
Although neat and tidy, the 1,500-square-foot flat is overflowing with antique Asian furniture, artwork, statues and accessories, which adorn the walls and fill every space. Buddhas and ornate stupa boxes sit atop Chinese cabinets; antique statues flank canvases by contemporary artists.
'I would love to have my own gallery [Durand-Ruel does most of her trade at exhibitions] but you could say that this is it. I have filled the rooms with every single nice piece I couldn't bear to sell,' says Durand-Ruel, who confesses to being an antiques shopaholic. 'I have never bought an antique knowing where I was going to put it; I buy a piece because I love it. That's the key to owning personal antiques - there's no point having something you think might be a good investment but of which you're not very fond.'
Dominating the living room is a Ming coffee table and a striking antique ironwood daybed, which, contrary to expectations, makes the ceiling look higher than it is. 'I love big pieces,' exclaims Durand-Ruel. 'Visit any home and what you'll remember afterwards will be the bigger pieces. Small things don't make statements.'
