A Hong Kong house that makes a big impression: bold colours and high ceilings for a family of five

Compromises often have to be made when renting a home but, sometimes, a property comes along that ticks all the boxes. Offering 3,000 sq ft, high ceilings, a great layout and a private outdoor terrace, this Deep Water Bay house was a no-brainer for Australian couple Danielle and Marc Davies and their three children.

The absence of decor in the three-floor, four-bedroom house was a bonus. Although structural changes weren’t permit­ted, it meant the Davieses had a blank canvas on which to make their aesthetic mark.

“When we arrived in Hong Kong [...] we didn’t think we’d be staying long, so we bought cheaper furniture,” says Danielle. “Now that we have been living here on and off for 14 years, we consider it our home, so I wanted some ‘forever’ pieces. It helps that our children are older and have stopped destroying things.”

Danielle’s father is an architect and she has inherited a love of classic, clutter-free style. However, she needed help with the makeover, so she turned to Australian-born interior designer Aviva Duncan to shake her out of her comfort zone and inject vitality into the colour scheme. Duncan also helped choose a couple of “big-ticket” items (Minotti sofa, included), which could stay with the family for a lifetime.

Duncan divided the 1,000 sq ft ground-floor living room into two zones. The larger is dedicated to grown-up entertaining while the smaller is a chill-out space for the children. The dining room, on the mezzanine level, overlooking the living room, is also in two parts. A dining table dominates one end while a sofa at the other makes a comfy reading area for the book-loving family. Simply repainting the bookshelves gave them a new lease of life.

“We all fight over this space – even the dog is obsessed with it,” says Danielle. “I can sit here and supervise homework in the dining room as well as look down at what’s going on in the living area.”