How a Hong Kong couple with clashing tastes created harmony at home
Jane Michael, the editor-at-large of Luxe City Guides, is a bohemian at heart while her husband takes a classic approach. Nevertheless, they managed to marry both styles in their 2,400 sq ft Repulse Bay home
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the interior of Jane Michael’s 2,400-sq-ft apartment in Repulse Bay had been designed by a professional. With its grey walls and gorgeous furnishings, it strikes a balance between homely and stylish. However, the editor-at-large at Luxe City Guides begs to differ.
“I’m fairly haphazard when it comes to my design choices,” says Michael, who is from Australia. “I tend to see something I like and buy it without thinking how it will fit in my home. I would say it’s an organic process.”
WATCH: Inside Jane Michael’s home
Her preference, she says, is for exotic, vintage accents and, thanks to her job, she has travelled extensively and been pointed in the direction of the best lifestyle retailers in the world. The chandelier above the dining table, for example, was purchased in New York and hauled back to Hong Kong.
Confronting her eclectic collection is her spouse’s design style.
“My husband and I have quite different tastes. He likes a more classic, elegant style and I prefer a bohemian flair in a space, so marrying those styles is a challenge,” she says. “Trying to get the best of those aesthetics into our home so it would feel like it belonged to both of us is how we’ve ended up with the style we have.”