How a Hong Kong interior designer took the stress out of creating a home for a family of four

Being spoilt for choice is an enviable position to be in but it can sometimes make decisions harder. Donna-Marie Treanor, group marketing director for homeware brand Sonder Living, was surrounded by so much beautiful furniture at work that she found it hard to settle on the pieces for her 1,400 sq ft Discovery Bay duplex. She, her husband and their two children (aged eight and five) moved there a year ago from a smaller flat on Hong Kong Island, so although they kept a lot of their existing things, they needed more to fill the gaps.

“I love the products I work with but when it came to choosing specific items for my own home, it was overwhelming,” says Treanor, who is originally from Ireland but has been living in Hong Kong for six years. “I almost didn’t know where to start.”

Enter Brazilian interior designer and stylist Joyce Taufer. A chance conversation about the trials and tribulations of decorating a rental apartment led to her stepping in to help.

“It was great having Joyce on board. She already knew and understood me and I’d seen and liked her work. The personal connection helped the entire process,” Treanor says.

The biggest challenge was avoiding a showroom look. Tempting – and easy – though it might have been to buy everything from a single collection at Sonder Living, Taufer steered her friend away from being too “matchy matchy”. Although Treanor had her heart set on several pieces, Taufer managed to push her out of her comfort zone (over a few glasses of wine) and persuade her to mix up designers and styles.