Taking a house in Florida as inspiration, an American woman has turned a dilapidated Shek O shack into a colourful and relaxed beach-side home.
Finding a gem of a house in a unique Hong Kong village was a dream come true for Normandy Madden. The journalist left her native United States more than 15 years ago, living in Ireland and Prague before moving to Hong Kong.
She has called this colourful village house in the heart of Shek O home for six of the nine years she has been in Hong Kong, transforming what was a rundown, dilapidated shell into a personal hideaway that seems a million miles away from the city. But the path to idyllic beachside living was not straightforward; it took determination, tenacity and a strong sense of vision.
Madden moved to Shek O to be near her boyfriend (now husband), Reuben Tuck. Back then, the only house she could find in her price range was essentially 'an abandoned wreck'. But instead of seeing a shell of a house without adequate plumbing, air conditioning or electrical fittings as a problem, she sniffed an opportunity.
She came to an agreement with the landlord to fix the house at her own expense if he offered a reasonable rent. 'To someone who likes interior design anyway that was a bit of a challenge,' she explains. 'I got a three-year lease that I renewed for another three years with no increase.'
Her first step was to call in contracting company Mr Hammer Design & Decoration (tel: 2816 6382). 'When they came in to view the place they asked how long it had been empty for and they were truly shocked that someone had been living here before me,' says Madden. But they set to work with enthusiasm, renovating the house from top to toe, replumbing, repainting, adding air-conditioners, a hot-water heater and more.