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Danielle and Marc Davies’ Deep Water Bay house, designed by Aviva Duncan. Photography and video: John Butlin. Styling: Aviva Duncan

A Hong Kong house that makes a big impression: bold colours and high ceilings for a family of five

Keen to be shaken out of her comfort zone, a tenant who usually shies away from bright hues was happy to let an interior designer inject life into her 3,000 sq ft, four-bedroom home in Deep Water Bay

Compromises often have to be made when renting a home but, sometimes, a property comes along that ticks all the boxes. Offering 3,000 sq ft, high ceilings, a great layout and a private outdoor terrace, this Deep Water Bay house was a no-brainer for Australian couple Danielle and Marc Davies and their three children.

The absence of decor in the three-floor, four-bedroom house was a bonus. Although structural changes weren’t permit­ted, it meant the Davieses had a blank canvas on which to make their aesthetic mark.

“When we arrived in Hong Kong [...] we didn’t think we’d be staying long, so we bought cheaper furniture,” says Danielle. “Now that we have been living here on and off for 14 years, we consider it our home, so I wanted some ‘forever’ pieces. It helps that our children are older and have stopped destroying things.”

Danielle’s father is an architect and she has inherited a love of classic, clutter-free style. However, she needed help with the makeover, so she turned to Australian-born interior designer Aviva Duncan to shake her out of her comfort zone and inject vitality into the colour scheme. Duncan also helped choose a couple of “big-ticket” items (Minotti sofa, included), which could stay with the family for a lifetime.

Duncan divided the 1,000 sq ft ground-floor living room into two zones. The larger is dedicated to grown-up entertaining while the smaller is a chill-out space for the children. The dining room, on the mezzanine level, overlooking the living room, is also in two parts. A dining table dominates one end while a sofa at the other makes a comfy reading area for the book-loving family. Simply repainting the bookshelves gave them a new lease of life.

“We all fight over this space – even the dog is obsessed with it,” says Danielle. “I can sit here and supervise homework in the dining room as well as look down at what’s going on in the living area.”

All of the bedrooms, on the top floor, got the thumbs up. Jack, 11, will be able to grow up with a look suitable for an almost-teenager; Emily, nine, has bunk beds and soft furnish­ings in a sophisticated teal; and Luke, six, who is now accommodating his siblings’ old toys, is the beneficiary of the largest room.

Marc and Danielle upgraded their bedroom furniture. Although it looks expensive, their bed wasn’t a huge investment, thanks to Duncan’s design of a tall headboard in midnight-blue suede and a cover for the base in matching fabric.

This house is really liveable and it has a wow factor about it. Aviva has helped me to embrace colour, which I shied away from in previous years; it is a fantastic outcome
Danielle Davies

When the family took possession of the house, a few naked bulbs illuminated the rooms, which gave them the freedom to go big on floor-level lighting.

“Playing with scale can be hard and we would have had to install a massive pen­dant light in the living room for it to work, which would have been fine here but what would Marc and Danielle have done with some­thing so big if they had to move to a smaller home with lower ceilings? Floor lamps are eye-catching and practical,” says Duncan.

Statement rugs tie everything together. Duncan specialises in textile design and she worked with Danielle to create three dis­tinct­ive rugs for the living areas and master bedroom.

“This house is really liveable and it has a wow factor about it,” says Danielle. “Aviva has helped me to embrace colour, which I shied away from in previous years; it is a fantastic outcome.”

Photography and video: John Butlin
Living area The Chill low-back chairs (HK$9,830 each/US$1,250) and the side table between them (HK$2,900) were all from Manks. Aviva Duncan designed the rug (HK$18,000). The blue sofa was HK$22,000 from BoConcept. The cushions were all made to order by Sun Sun Interiors (tel: 9480 4097) with Colefax and Fowler fabric from Altfield.
The two-coffee-table nest (HK$18,000 in total) and rectangular side table (HK$3,800) were both from Natuzzi. The Arco floor lamp (HK$20,800), by Flos, came from Colourliving. The circular striped artwork is by Australian artist Paul Snell and came from Colville Gallery, in Hobart, Tasmania.
Reading area The sofa (HK$79,800) and floor lamp, from the Diesel with Foscarini collection, both came from Manks. The bookshelves were bought years ago from Tree and repainted. The coffee table was HK$5,490 from Dovetail Living. The rug (HK$10,500) was designed and made by Duncan.
Living area detail The Jacques sofa by Minotti cost HK$160,000. The zigzag cushions were HK$2,500 each from a Missoni Home pop-up sale. The console was made to order by Artura Ficus for HK$7,800. The rectangular sculpture was a gift.

Living room detail At the “kids’ end” of the living area, the sofa (HK$20,000) was bought from Attitude, a shop in Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau, that has since closed. The desk (HK$12,000) was designed and made by Duncan. The chairs were HK$2,500 each from Tree but have since been discontinued.

The dot paintings are from the “Plasma” series by British-born Australian artist Robert Doble. The coffee table (HK$4,890) was from Dovetail Living and the lamp came from a shop that has since closed.
Dining area The dining table cost HK$12,950 from Tree and the chairs were HK$3,220 each from Manks. The classic Aeros pendant light by Louis Poulsen is one of Danielle Davies’ favourite pieces and was also bought from Manks, but it has been discontinued. Maps are Marc’s passion and these have been collected over time from a variety of sources. The side­board was bought years ago from Artura Ficus.

Kitchen The kitchen, which looks out onto the terrace, was left as it was. The vintage “Eat” sign was a gift.

Main bedroom The bedhead and matching cover for the base (HK$12,900 in total), ottoman (HK$4,800) and rug (HK$9,800) were all designed by Duncan. The bedside lamp by Kartell was bought for about HK$5,000 from a shop in Wan Chai. The Fornasetti cushions were a gift. The desk was about HK$12,000 from Lane Crawford and the chair was HK$2,950 from Tree. The two-tone curtains were HK$24,500 from Sun Sun Interiors.
Luke’s room The bed (HK$11,500) and bedside table (HK$2,490) were from Indigo Kids. The shelves (HK$5,100) were from Dovetail Living. The magnetic picture was about US$45 from allposters.com.
Emily’s room The bunk bed cost HK$12,900 from Indigo Kids. The chest of drawers was bought years ago from Ikea, which was also the source for the toy storage units on either side of it. The circular raspberry rug (HK$4,800) was designed and made by Duncan and the spotted one (HK$16,000) was from Yarns. The cube was HK$4,000 from Attitude and the basket came from Pottery Barn Kids.

Tried + tested

Working under the table In the Davieses’ home, television boxes and routers have been screwed to the underside of a side table (HK$4,390, from Dovetail Living), keeping them accessible but out of sight. The family simply points remote controls at the table and, hey presto! This clever idea makes an audiovisual unit unnecessary.

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