A blank slate can be forbidding. So Hong Kong-based interior designer Rosheen Rodwell is always glad when clients come with a few much-loved possessions that need to be incorporated into a scheme. “I love that,” she says. “It’s important to find a home for all of it.” At a 1,410 sq ft (131 square metre) flat in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong – belonging to 747 pilot Caroline Williams, her financier husband, Richard, and their children, Chloe, 10 and Hugo, 8 – those possessions included a collection of Slim Aarons photographs, a blue-and-orange stag painting picked up in Australia, a grandmother’s Murano glass ashtray, and a giant kaleidoscopic work given to Richard on his 40th birthday. Each piece has its own considered place within the final scheme, fitting naturally into the fresh, colourful and, above all, warm and comfortable home. The colours in the stag painting are picked up throughout the open-plan living and dining space, from the wall paint to the custom-designed sofas, pops of orange in the accessories and even the cord of the dining room pendant lamps. The kaleidoscopic picture in the dining area determined the size of the wall panelling, which adds character to the living spaces. Why building a family retreat on a Hong Kong island was a ‘labour of love’ “We wanted a family home; somewhere liveable and not too ‘staged’,” Caroline Williams says. “We wanted an open-plan kitchen as the centre of the home, where we can cook and eat together, but also have our own spaces we can retreat to. That has been so important during Covid.” While the three-bedroom, two-bathroom flat had good bones, Rodwell’s team demolished the kitchen wall, and moved the helper’s room and bathroom from the rear of the kitchen into the toe of the L-shaped dining and living space to create a more usable rectangular floor plan. I don’t like all-white rooms. Most rental properties are all white, so when you buy your own place, it’s a chance to do something different Rosheen Rodwell, interior designer “It made the kitchen larger and gave us an extra window, which harnesses the morning light,” Williams says. “Now it’s so bright and sunny in the morning.” The helper’s room door is painted the same colour as the walls to keep it discreet, allowing a black-framed, glass-panelled door that separates the public and private areas to dominate their shared wall. A small feature, telling of the level of detail, is a leather-lined pocket in the corridor wall that allows the glass door to open flush with the wall, while cushioning the handle. Like the rest of the design, the storage was carefully planned. “I even measured the size of their box files,” Rodwell says. In the main suite, she built a wall behind the bed to create a walk-in wardrobe, beautifully fitted out with a recessed door handle and concave curved dividers (“The curves give you more space to walk past,” she says). The ceiling and the top of the walls, down to the picture rail, were painted a dark smoky-green, leaving the lower walls white. “I don’t like all-white rooms. Most rental properties are all white, so when you buy your own place, it’s a chance to do something different,” Rodwell says. “The green is calming. We carried the colour right across the curtains and even into the trim on the bed skirt. With all the doors and pillars in this room, it could have looked bitty; the colour helps to bring it all together.” Hong Kong family apartment makeover makes most of natural light While the main suite is a tranquil retreat for parents, the children’s rooms reflect their interests and personalities. Tropical palm-print wallpaper, a pet budgie in a cage and rattan accents – including the lampshade and drawer handles – echo bird-lover Chloe’s obsession with nature. In son Hugo’s room, world map wallpaper allows him to keep track of where his pilot mother is flying to next, and a tiny secret cupboard at the end of his bed is out of bounds to the rest of the family. Throughout the project, Williams and Rodwell kept a sensible eye on the budget. “This is not the family’s forever home, so we were careful about what we spent money on,” Rodwell says. “We bought cheap blinds and added colourful trims to make them special, for example, but we went for expensive cushions that they can take with them.” Living room The colours of the stag painting – picked up years ago in Australia – set the palette for the living area, while the large kaleidoscopic picture (a gift) in the dining space provided the dimensions for the batons attached to the walls to give the impression of panelling. The two sofas and linen ottoman were designed by Rosheen Rodwell Interiors (email: rosheen@rosheenrodwell.com ) and made by Artura Ficus (arturaficus.com). The cushions were from Etsy (etsy.com) and Anthropologie (anthropologie.com). The round rug was from Overstock (overstock.com) and the oak herringbone flooring was installed by the contractor, JProekt (tel: 5406 4451). The Flos Tab floor lamp in matt dark green was from Nest.co.uk. Dining area “This is the best of both worlds: designer chairs and lovely cushions,” jokes Rodwell. The Corian and brass dining table was bought years ago from Bowerbird (now closed) and the Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs were from Manks, in Wong Chuk Hang ( www.manks.com ). The cushions were custom made by Bricks N Stones (10/F, 80 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2520 0577). The matt metal pendant lamps were from Ovo (ovo.com.hk) and the mirror was from Ikea (ikea.com.hk). The console table was designed by Rosheen Rodwell Interiors, using leftover marble from the floor of the family bathroom, and was made by JProekt, which also made the glass door. The orange vase was found on Carousell (carousell.com.hk). Kitchen Rosheen Rodwell incorporated curved elements throughout the design, most notably in the kitchen wall. The cabinetry and Caesarstone countertop were from Euro Cucina (111 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, tel: 3690 2382) and the stools were from Ovo (ovo.com.hk). The ceiling lamp was carefully chosen to manoeuvre around the ceiling beam (“I didn’t want spotlights everywhere,” Rodwell says) and came from Casa Modernism (casamodernism.com). The blinds in Alana celadon and steel colourway, from Korla Home Fabric, were made by Bricks N Stones. The door to the helper’s room (on right) is discreetly painted in the same Farrow & Ball Light Blue as the walls. Main bedroom A custom-designed headboard covered in Larsen fabric (from Altfield Interiors) extends the full length of the wall, behind both the bed and Caroline’s desk. The glass and brass ceiling lamp was from Indigo Living (indigo-living.com), and the bedside pendant lamps were from Staunton and Henry (stauntonandhenry.com). The chair was from Casa Modernism and the cushion on it, in Beata Heuman marbled velvet (beataheuman.com), was made by Bricks N Stones, which also made the curtains and bed skirt. The cushions on the bed were from Artura Ficus. The ceiling was painted in Farrow & Ball Card Room Green. The lion painting, behind the bed, was by Hong Kong-based artist Marc Allante (marcallante.com). Main en suite Behind a pocket door, the main en suite has a zen-like vibe, with concrete-effect tiles (from My Habit, 308 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2519 6000) and a shelf inset into the window for privacy and practicality. The sink and towel rail were sourced by JProekt and the vanity unit and mirrored cupboard were made by Namxing Construction (2/F, Block 2, Yip On Factory Estate, Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay, tel: 2756 3318). The blind was made by Bricks N Stones. Balcony The built-in benches on the balcony double as storage. They were designed by Rosheen Rodwell Interiors and made by Namxing Construction. The seat cushions, in Jim Thompson Chinese Checkers fabric, and throw cushions in Jim Thompson Camargue fabric, were from Altfield interiors (altfield.com.hk). The gold table was from Decor8 (decor8.com.hk) and the air plants and baskets were from Tung Wai Garden Horticulture (tungwaigarden.com). The wall panelling was designed by Rosheen Rodwell Interiors and installed by JProekt and the flooring was from Cheerwood Eco Plastic Wood (cheerwood.com). Daughter’s bedroom Cole & Son Palm Leaves wallpaper (from Altfield Interiors) sets the scene for 10-year-old nature-lover Chloe. The bed and rug were from Ikea and the bedcover was from Anthropologie, as were the cushions, in Korla Home fabric. The blind was from Bricks N Stones and the table lamp from Emoh (emohdesign.com). The bedside table was bought years ago. The wardrobes were built by Namxing Construction. Tried + Tested Tucked behind the helper’s room, opening into the bedroom corridor, is a dedicated laundry cupboard. Neat and practical, it contains a washing machine, folding table, dehumidifier and hanging space. Rattan doors allow air to flow through the space. The doors and table were made by Namxing Construction (2/F, Block 2, Yip On Factory Estate, Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay, tel: 2756 3318). Styling: Flavia Markovits; Photo assistant: Timothy Tsang