“Living with colour is very important. It makes a big impact on mood so it has to come from the client and strike the right balance between harmony and contrast,” she says. “What I might love in my home might affect someone else in a totally different way.”

Because the family hail from Britain, they wanted a classic English feel for their home. Tait Tolani stuck to their preferred aesthetic but managed to inject quirky elements, such as the harlequin-patterned pastel wallpaper on the nursery ceiling, to make the apartment original and fun.

Mixing vintage with modern pieces, she sourced light fittings and furniture that she felt would make a statement in Hong Kong but would equally suit their native country should they ever decide to move back. She custom designed bookshelves in the living-room nook that look as though they are built in but come apart in five pieces and can be reassembled in different configurations. A faux mantelpiece, with a black-painted centre, gives the illusion of depth and looks solid, but can be easily removed.

“I wanted to make the here-and-now matter but also think about how everything would translate if they moved elsewhere,” she says.

Although unable to make any structural changes, Tait Tolani was permitted to paint the rooms. Once the palette was set, she had paints custom blended at eicó, modifying each shade by tiny increments until the desired hue was reached.

Knowing her client loves fabrics and upholstery, she incorporated an assortment of textures, from velvet sofas with contrasting fringing, to delicate Chinoiserie panels and a riot of geometrics including hexagonal, diamond, striped and gingham patterns. Comfort was key so Tait Tolani created an environment simultaneously stylish and family friendly, featuring plush rugs, oversized slipper chairs and deep love seats.

With the main bedroom and nursery dedicated to the oldest and youngest members of the family, respectively, Tait Tolani had to come up with a unisex solution for the third bedroom, which was to be shared by the family’s son and daughter. Keeping the main colour the same soothing blue as the baby’s room, she teamed it with coral and embroidered elements to make it more feminine without being too girly.

“I’m not of the ‘blue for boys, pink for girls’ school of thought,” says Tait Tolani. “This room feels light and fresh and works for both sexes.”

She worked her magic on the balcony, too. What had been a fairly nondescript space was transformed by the introduction of inexpensive wooden decking interspersed with squares of artificial grass, elegant rattan furniture and large plants.

“I always cover up typical Hong Kong balcony tiles because they tend to be quite boring,” says Tait Tolani. “I’d seen a picture of decking with real moss and slate so wanted that look and feel. It was a high idea but we recreated it with Ikea [products] and it was very therapeutic slotting all the tiles together myself.”

Not so relaxing for her was the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. She had sourced a lot of furniture from abroad and with many of her suppliers halting business, the delays had a domino effect on her timeline.

“Luckily, it all came together just as my clients arrived back from overseas,” she says. “Having a gorgeous new apartment to quarantine in really softened the blow.”

Tried + tested