Period piece
Brother and sister act Paul and Rebecca Lucas used a hotchpotch of styles to re-create art-deco glamour with a modern twist for their Mount Davis apartment.
A precise eye and an understated colour palette could be a recipe for boring minimalism. Not so in this 2,200-square-foot apartment on Mount Davis Road, home to Paul Lucas and his sister Rebecca. Rather, the rich textures woven into a scheme of mushroom, beige, stone, slate, taupe and plum create a luxurious design plan that hints of 1930s and 40s glamour.
Canadian-born Paul, who has lived in Hong Kong for 15 years, works in the expatriate relocation business so is no stranger to what makes the perfect home. He chose to move to Pokfulam nearly three years ago because of its convenience and value for money. 'This apartment has all the feel of the south side and has tremendous views. It has a no-nonsense square layout and is probably half what you'd pay in Repulse Bay for comparable living. It's also convenient: 15 minutes door-to-door to Central.'
When the siblings rented the apartment, they used the chance to start afresh with their furnishings. 'The fun was in buying the furniture purposefully for this space. It was all sourced in Hong Kong, with the exception of the 1930s mirrored furniture pieces, which came from London,' says Paul.
Such careful selection goes part way to explaining the cohesive look. Even Madge, the miniature schnauzer, fits the colour scheme. 'It's become a kind of joke: what came first - the interior or the dog?' says Paul. 'Actually, Madge was first.'
The square space lent itself admirably to the refurbishment. The huge rectangular dining room and living room with large French windows overlook the sea, while a corridor leads to two bedrooms on the right and an office on the left.
Paul was happy to start from scratch. 'We took everything out,' he says. 'It came with white shag-pile carpets and a full fireplace; we got rid of that and put in the air-conditioners and ceiling cornices.
'We turned the third bedroom into a study with a sliding door so we could add some functionality to the living area but, also have some privacy if we had guests.' He also installed an inexpensive Ikea kitchen, painted the original kitchen tiles with epoxy resin and stained the teak parquet flooring to make it look more modern. Such measures helped turn a rented apartment into a comfort-able home. The sophisticated choice of furnishings and artwork finished the job.
Despite protesting that he has no design background, Paul has a keen interest in the field. 'It's funny: I'm in real estate but I'm a frustrated interior decorator,' he says.
His choice of furniture is diverse but tasteful, producing interesting combinations. 'We wanted to try and use luxurious yet subtle fabrics and keep some period elements coming through.' Hence original 30s French-mirrored furniture, a Pucci-style chaise longue, an antique art-nouveau sofa, oversized mirrors and a period chandelier from a demolished Hong Kong apartment block share space with contemporary art (local and international), antiques from Asia and flea-market finds.
The interior may be the epitome of subtle glamour, but it is not without humour. Above the bed in the master bedroom is a collection of British royalty paintings. 'I started this collection as a child and have collected them from flea markets all over the world,' says Paul.
'It was fun so I took a bit of time to find things with the same colour grouping to try to keep things fairly tonal. It's a bit of whimsical satire really.'
3 Paul's collection of antique ivory objects was bought in flea markets around the world and includes opera glasses, a magnifying glass and a comb.
4 Paul's bedroom is decorated in warm, luxurious tones. Above the bed is a whimsical collection of vintage portraits of the British royal family, bought from flea markets around the world. The bed features a button-down headboard designed by Paul and made by Jackson Law. It features Brummel fabric by Andrew Martin in charcoal, $533 a metre from Kinsan. The pair of crystal and chrome lamps by Nicholas Haslam cost $5,250 each and were bought in London; the imposing screen, with its compressed bamboo finish, was bought on Hollywood Road.
5 Paul turned the third bedroom into a study to extend the usable living space. The macassar-ebony veneer French desk, circa 1925, cost $17,000 at Bob Lawrence Gallery (93 Lower Sloane Street, London, tel: 44 20 7730 5900). The Eames-style chair, in off-white leather and chrome, is from Aluminium (19 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2546 5904). The standing lamp ($11,000), is from Magazzini (shop 902, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, tel: 2814 1663).
6 In a corner of the living room is an American art nouveau sofa re-upholstered by Jackson Law. On the sofa is a cushion made from a 30s Japanese obi (kimono sash) bought from Hanlin Gallery (Wilson House, 19 Wyndham Street, tel: 2522 4479). Paul had the obi backed with leather and made into a cushion at Cotton Tree Interiors (92 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2866 1126). The five canvas-board artwork hanging above the sofa is called Sending A Blizz and is by German artist Silvia Willkens ($59,000), who is represented in Hong Kong by Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery (20 Ice House Street, Central, tel: 2580 0058). The French 30s mirrored round occasional table cost $25,000 at Hilary Batstone in London.
7 A faux Venetian mirror ($5,800, from Blupool, shop 2606, Horizon Plaza, tel: 3527 3826) hangs in the en suite bathroom.
tried & tested
finishing touch
To add interest to boring built-in cupboards while keeping costs down, add new doors to refresh and update the look. To fit in with the art-deco style of the apartment, Paul Lucas had new doors - decorated with a geometric 1930s-style art deco motif - made on the mainland. He added handles, bought in a shop on Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, to complete the period look.
stylist Esther van Wijck
