How a Hong Kong interior designer created a home that tells the stories of its occupants

South African couple David and Sandra Gilbert had no problem finding a Mid-Levels rental apartment that ticked all the boxes, but it was their ability to trans­late decorating ideas into reality that fell short. A lack of spare time to even repaint their new home didn’t help. Then a friend mentioned interior designer Aviva Duncan.

“We had a fairly clear idea of the place we wanted but it was hard to recreate that image,” says businessman David. “[Work­ing with a designer] wasn’t something we’d ever thought about but the result went far beyond anything we could achieve on our own. My original assumption was that Aviva would execute our plan but it developed in a much better way. What she did exceptionally well was to help us build a home that speaks to us.”

Duncan achieved this by getting to know the Gilberts, who have lived in Hong Kong for two years, and building a picture of the way they wanted to live. She then guided them towards furniture, lighting and art that she felt would look good in their 1,300 sq ft, three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment and reflect their characters. She also challenged them to explore adventurous options rather than gravitate to their comfort zone.

“I teased out their identities,” says Duncan, “and since we couldn’t structurally change the apartment, I used objects to tell their story.”

One discovery was David’s talent for photography. He’d told Duncan about going on safari and shown her some of his “snaps”. The images were so incredible, she persuaded the couple to have them printed and framed to create a feature wall.