Interior designers go wild as clients seek eccentricity

The owner of a home in Sai Kung had a specific request of his interior designer; to create a living space that was "fascinating". So Michael Liu, founder and chief designer of award-winning Hong Kong-based design firm Millimeter, had an intriguing idea: he took one of his client's racy Ferraris, housed it in glass, and made it a design feature of the living room.

"He is a super car fan," said Liu of his client, who has a Ferrari 458 and F430, and has since acquired a Porsche 911 Turbo. "To do what he wanted was easy. I like to surprise my clients. My goal was to make a practical and fascinating home that he would never forget, so I put on show his favourite toy."

For those accustomed to more conventional design notions, Liu's idea to stick a car in the middle of a living space might seem just a little outrageous. But his approach to the project, which was completed last year, points to a wider trend in the field of residential design, where the expected and conventional is out, replaced by an infusion of the bizarre and outlandish, even in the most urbane of spaces. All that is required is a sense of humour.

"There were some very eccentric things at [Paris design fair] Maison & Objet," said Christine Martin, co-founder of online design resource Decorilla. Standout pieces included a high-backed chair with a flurry of stiff bird feathers down the back, and teacup-wine glass 'hybrids': pretty gold-rimmed teacups atop stemmed glassware.

"People are looking for a statement piece, something individual that stands out," said Martin. "There is more of a trend towards pieces of artistic value, rather than something you'd find in a department store or online shop."

And it is a trend gaining momentum worldwide.