As founder of used kidsโ clothing boutique Retykle, Canadian Sarah Garner spends her days helping Hong Kong parents to find the potential in childrenโs outgrown outfits; an outlook that has clearly influenced her approach when it came to setting up a family home on the lower slopes of The Peak.
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โOur block is unique because they are government flats, so itโs a case of โtake โem as you see โemโ. This means they are bare bones when theyโre handed over.” she says. “The upside is that you get a bit more space for your money.โ And the downside? โYou have to install every utility โ every A/C unit, the fridge, stove, everything. Itโs a challenge to get set up, but once youโve put some muscle into fixing them up, they have character.”
And character is what this apartment on The Peak, home to Sarah, husband Luke, two-year-old Henry and baby sister Olympia, has in spades. The airy, 2,000 square-foot, three-bedroom apartment achieves a stylish, yet laid-back feel, with Sarah drawing heavily on the familyโs travels for inspiration, โI was aiming for a relaxed environment that veered on the side of a vacation home. I like the use of palm prints, plants and rattan to evoke a sense of a tropical escape.โ She adds, โWe like natural colours and materials with accents of orange, which is Lukeโs favourite colour, and blue, which is my favourite.โ The beach-retreat vibe is further reinforced with a charming family tradition; โWe collect sand from each beach we visit and store it in a mix of glass containers in our bathroom. Each one reminds us of the different corners of the earth weโve touched together.โ
Sarah also drew on her heritage when decorating The Peak apartment. โFor Henryโsย room, we wanted it to be whimsical and also have a bit of a โCanadianaโ feel.โ It has subsequently become Sarahโs favourite spot in the apartment. โI love the whimsy of the wallpaper, and it makes me happy to see him play in his various nooks. I especially love our comfortable reading chair.โ She adds with a laugh that Olympia โ typically of a second child โ has a room that is โmulti-functionalโ. It currently houses the piano of classically-trained pianist Luke โ โand itโs not yet quite โdoneโ!โ
Although the Garnersโ home on The Peak is clearly a well thought-out and stylish space, Sarah admits that finding unique pieces for value in Hong Kong is a challenge. โI wish we had more variety and quality at a good price, rather than the astronomical price tags that often accompany the items that catch our eye.โ Mindful of this, the familyโs key pieces earn their space in the home, and most have a meaningful story to tell. โWe try to collect things that have sentimental value, especially items we find during our travels. For example, the rug under the dining table was bought during our honeymoon in Morocco in a remote village in the Atlas Mountains where women do hand-dyeing and weaving.โ She adds that the dining room hutch is from Galle, Sri Lanka โ โfrom an amazing vintage furniture store full of Dutch relics. It took a while to sail its way to Hong Kong, but we love it!โ
A more unusual acquisition is the vintage brass and glass coffee table that has pride of place in the living room, โIt has a unique design feature, in that it has a hole on one side. Many drinks have almost gone plummeting through the table when guests go to rest them down in an empty space! Itโs actually meant to hold flowers, which is quite a beautiful effect, but we donโt always have fresh flowers in there, hence the confusion!โ Even the Garnersโ hallway is home to striking, and meaningful, design elements. โThe architectural prints in our hallway are of buildings designed by my great-grandfather, who my son is named after.โ Sarah adds that the hallway wallpaper is from Anthropologie: โThey ship to Hong Kong, and itโs great for a rental as you can peel it off without damaging the wall upon removal.โ
Of course, a key selling point for any Hong Kong home is outdoor space, and the Garnersโ apartment on The Peak comes with a spacious balcony from which the family can soak up the surrounding green views. โWe eat breakfast outside with the kids when itโs nice weather and, post-kidsโ bedtime, we try to sit and have a glass of wine on a nice evening. There are hundreds of black kites that circle right in front of the balcony at around sunset every night; itโs quite a beautiful sight.โ
In addition to the balcony, The Peak apartment is perfectly situated next to the developmentโs own playground, which really sealed the deal for Sarah. โRenovated kitchens and bathrooms are no longer top of our list! Outdoor play spaces beat out the rest โ itโs a HK dream with young kids, as it requires no planning, no transportation and is a built-in daily play-date with plenty of other kids.โ
Noticeably absent from the apartment is the typical avalanche of brightly-coloured plastic toys that are the bane of most Hong Kong parentsโ existence. Sarah explains: โWe kept our living spaces quite โadultโ, but comfortable enough for the kids to enjoy too.โ This laid-back attitude has enabled the Garners to strike a perfectly stylish balance between a warm and welcoming family home and a grown-up aesthetic, rich in thoughtful detail.
Sarah’s Recommendations
Anthropologieย ย anthropologie.com
Bowerbird Home 8/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau | 2552 2727 | bowerbird-home.com
Etsy etsy.com
Lane Crawford 88 Queensway, Pacific Place | 2118 2288 | lanecrawford.com
Oriental Home 20/F, Horizon Plaza | 3542 5336
Pottery Barn potterybarn.com
Wai Kee G/F, 37 High Street, Sai Ying Pun | 2522 3605 | wai-kee.com.hk
This article first appeared in the Jun/Jul edition of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue!
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