Swapping Hong Kong’s high-rises for a colourful mid-century-modern Melbourne home
When Australian photographer Belinda Bath moved back to her hometown from Choi Hung, the extra space in her new house let her spread her eclectic design wings
You can take the girl out of Hong Kong but it seems you can’t take Hong Kong out of the girl. Even though photographer and stylist Belinda Bath moved back to her native Melbourne at the end of 2018, her love of the SAR, where she lived for 12 years, is evident throughout her 7,040 sq ft Australian home.
Bath is known for her colour-themed photographic montages and vibrant prints of Hong Kong, which reflect her knack for discovering beauty in everyday objects and magic in even the dingiest of places. The colours in these and works by other artists picked up on travels around Asia dictate the palette in each room; there is even a purple-dominated nook under the staircase.
“Once we knew we were moving back to Melbourne, we had quite a few bits of furniture made or bought for the space we knew we were moving into,” says Bath, who kept busy during the pandemic lockdown creating pieces and selling works through her website, belindabathimages.com.
“We collected some lovely art on our travels and there was also my own artwork curated especially for the space – although I’ve tried not to hang too much of it,” she says. “Art is extremely important to me, so I’m always looking out for pieces that connect. I’m not a fan of clutter, which I sometimes struggle with as a stylist because I end up collecting a lot of ‘props’, so all of my Asian collectibles are in a big cupboard.”
How light, love and a little bit of Bali made this flat feel like home
Bath and her husband, Glen, who works for global trading group Li & Fung, bought the five-bedroom house in 2011 while they were still living in Hong Kong. Both love mid-century modern style so that was the starting point for their home search, along with open space and bags of character. And they hit the jackpot: a two-storey house with an abundance of original 1960s features, including terrazzo flooring in the hall, up the stairs and in three of the bathrooms, retro lighting, glass-brick walls and chartreuse carpets.
On the first floor are light-filled, open-plan communal areas and three bedrooms while the ground floor accommodates two further bedrooms plus a dedicated hang-out space for Bath’s two teenage children, and other rooms.
“We chose the house for its good bones and style rather than its location,” says Bath. “It had been recently renovated to our taste while still remaining authentic to the period in which it had been built so there wasn’t much to do. We painted the foyer a neutral white and had sheer curtains made for the windows.”
They also transformed a “dark and heavy” back room on the ground floor (formerly used for wine tasting) into a modern guest room by adding a window, a lick of paint and bright colours in the form of art and furnishings.
Bath characterises her eclectic style as simple modern with a vintage edge. While colour is her abiding passion, Bath says she is currently obsessed with lighting and is on the hunt for interesting fittings to replace those that don’t quite sit with her home’s period feel. One of her favourites is the retro pendant hanging above the staircase, which glows a soft pink.
“Lighting can add so much ambience and warmth to your home as well as creating points of interest,” she says. “I have lots of neon in my home, which gives a sense of fun but also reminds me of Hong Kong.”
Outside living is just as important to us as inside living so we are in the process of designing a backyard, which will be in keeping with the style of the house
Since the interior of the home ticks all the Bath family boxes, they have turned their focus to remodelling the outdoors. Thanks to the disruptive fallout from Covid-19, however, the landscaping remains a work in progress.
“Outside living is just as important to us as inside living so we are in the process of designing a backyard, which will be in keeping with the style of the house,” says Bath.
After living in a Choi Hung flat a sixth of the size, it goes without saying that she is enjoying the airy proportions of her new home and all the benefits a sizeable place offers.
“I’m a country girl, so I grew up with an abundance of space around me. High-rise apartment living in Hong Kong was never really for me but you do what you have to do,” she says. “I love that we can now have all our friends and family over and entertain, and that the house is full of kids and their friends, music and dancing. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
Dining area The Nothing But Neon print on etching paper (far left) is by Bath. Self Portrait (right of the window), by Hoang Hong Cam, came from Tonkin Gallery (Pho Hàng Bac, Hanoi, Vietnam, tel: +84 91 334 3868). The Beat pendant light (HK$3,600) was from Tom Dixon.
Patio The kitchen opens onto a patio with steps down to a deck. The pendant lights seen above the breakfast counter are original 1960s fittings. Luna the cavoodle joined the family in Melbourne.
Stairs The pendant lights and terrazzo flooring on the staircase are original fixtures and fittings. The Ombre Moss print is by Bath.
Tried + tested
Let there be light Belinda Bath found one of Hong Kong’s last neon masters, Wu Chi-kai (Kingswin Industrial Building, 32 Lei Muk Road, Kwai Chung, tel: 9027 2796), and commissioned him to create a bespoke neon sign (HK$8,000) of the red lotus motif on her business chop. The old-school glass tubing is filled with gas and mounted on Perspex sheeting; it illuminates when plugged in.
“Most neon signs have been replaced with LED so it’s a dying art,” explains Bath. “I am obsessed with neon so it is such a special thing to have.”
