FINDING HOME Told through art and furnishings, the stories of a family turn this Sai Kung house into a real home
坐落西貢的大宅以精緻藝術品和傢具掛帥，完美展現溫馨舒適的空間
It takes a lot to build a house and, as most storied abodes will reveal, it takes even more to build a home. But generously high ceilings, voluminous natural light and views of the seaside aren’t a bad place to start, as Donna Shepherd would know. Located in Sai Kung, the three-storey dwelling she now resides in with her family brimmed with potential during its discovery.
She recalls: “One of the biggest factors to purchasing the home was the unusually high ceiling in the living room,” which allowed for a 22-foot window to partially encircle the space, inviting light to the ground level’s open plan and into the kitchen. A spacious garden, along with a terrace on the rooftop and surrounding views of the sea, also did their part in winning over Shepherd and her husband.
Relocating from Australia 20 years ago, the family now calls Hong Kong home. Over the years, Shepherd has kept herself busy by running home-related businesses, including the Wicka Designs furniture line as well as Antiques Zhuhai and Beyond, which organises shopping tours for antiques in China. Of her many ventures, her favourite is the current one, Prime Real Estate. “This allows me to do what I love best – finding great homes for people, including myself,” she says. “Many individuals cannot see the potential in a home and that’s where my forte is. I can easily identify opportunities to create a silk purse from a sow’s ear.”
在不少有趣的家居故事中，常提及打造美好宜人的家園並不容易。雖然如此，高挑樓底、自然光線和海邊美景等絕佳優勢令一切變得更加簡單，而屋主Donna Shepherd同樣深明此道理。她與家人現居住於西貢的三層住宅，優美宜人的家園背後同樣有著獨一無二的故事。
她回想：「客廳的天花設計特別高挑，也是我購入宅舍的其中一個主要原因。」環繞生活空間的22呎長玻璃窗氣派昂然，讓自然光線滲透到廚房和下層單位的每個角落。連接陽台的室外花園寬敞開揚，與一望無際的海景相映成趣。以上所說的，全部都是Shepherd和丈夫愛上這裡的原因。
這個澳洲家庭已移居香港20年，早視香港為家。多年來，她醉心於處理各種家居設計業務。她負責Wicka Designs的傢具項目，不時會為Antiques Zhuhai和Beyond安排到中國採購古董的行程。在芸芸的業務之中，她對Prime Real Estate的工作最感興趣。「工作讓我發揮所長，為客人甚至是我自己尋找理想家園。我正好扮演著一個推動者的角色，提供化腐朽為神奇的建議和妙法。」
This ability to find potential, paired with the patience and persistence to see a house live up to its own, is reflected in the Shepherd home – a space that would ultimately take two-and-a-half years to gut and renovate. While the kitchen was relatively easy, she says, the dining and living room proved a challenge; in the end, they resorted to building an additional wall to add definition to the floor plan, creating an entertainment space with a built-in surround sound system in the process, and importing furniture to match the layout of the living room. It may have taken longer than she envisioned, but for Shepherd, that’s just part of the process. “It takes time and dedication to find the right look,” she says.
The result of both deliberate and organic efforts, the Shepherd home is distinctive and personal; the tastes, characters and stories of its inhabitants are evident. On the artwork in the dining room, for instance, Shepherd recounts a nugget from her husband’s childhood: “Shaun [Atkinson, the author of the work] and my husband grew up in the same social circle, and this particular piece of art, Dreaming Not Drowning, was gifted to Shaun’s aunt many years ago. Upon the sale of her collection, we were fortunate enough to secure a couple of his pieces.” A painting by American artist Jennifer Moreman also graces
獨到敏銳的眼光當然重要，而無比的決心和耐性同樣不能忽視。Shepherd共花兩年半的時間裝飾翻新，打造安閒舒適的專屬天地。廚房設計較易處理，相反飯廳和客廳的佈局安排較具挑戰性。她更為室內空間添上額外牆壁，從而建構一個內置立體環繞音效的娛樂空間。選配與客廳相襯的傢具也是點綴家居的關鍵。她說：「你總需花上時間和毅力，才能打造出稱心滿意的方案。」
憑藉地理優勢和設計裝潢的配合，空間各處完美體現家庭成員的品味特色和個人故事。以客廳的藝術品為例，金塊畫作與屋主丈夫的童年有一段有趣的關係。「藝術家Shaun Atkinson是丈夫孩提時代的好友。多年前，Shaun將畫作《Dreaming Not Drowning》送贈給他的姨母。隨後，我們在他姨母舉辦的售賣會中成功投得不少Shaun的作品。」好友送贈的美國藝術家Jennifer Moreman畫作為兩間睡房注入自然優雅的氛圍。「作品與西貢的環境特別匹配，尤其是野牛不時會在花園和草地漫步悠走的情況。」
書房中的古董桌子由一位已離港的好友送贈，正是一個獨具意義的印證。「桌子有著永恆不變的價值，它代表著我和好友在香港的美好時
one of two bedrooms – a gift from a friend. “The piece itself is so relevant to our home in Sai Kung, where many feral cows roam freely – including in our garden!”
Another gift that finds a special place in the study is an antique desk, from a friend of Shepherd’s who moved away. “It’s one of those fabulous pieces that will stay with us wherever we go,” she says. ”I will always have fond memories of our time together in Hong Kong.” Meanwhile, the antiques cabinet next to it is the couple’s gift to themselves at the other end of a move, when they arrived in their adopted city.
There are framed tiles on the rooftop that tell the tale of the family’s trip to Istanbul, while a piece in the master bedroom is put together by Shepherd herself. “I’m not really a good artist, but I know what I like and I can appreciate the talents of others,” she says. “I sourced the felt collections from the Philippines and, with the help of Artmen in Wan Chai, created a lovely boxed and framed piece.” A foot away, a headboard custom-made in Zhuhai anchors the master bedroom.
The family’s individual characters find expression in the bathrooms, too. “It never occurred to us to go with a uniform look,” says Shepherd. “Each bathroom was designed individually. Our own bathroom was a combination of what my husband and I both like. He loved the ‘washed wooden look’ floor, and I wanted the feature tiles and to enhance the position of the bath. For this, we added a large window to make the most of the green views while soaking in the tub.”
They say home is where the heart is, but it’s equally true that we leave parts of our hearts in the places we choose – by way of an artwork, perhaps, or a piece of furniture. “I love a fusion of furniture – it tells the story of your life,” says Shepherd. “It reminds you of the wheres and the whys.”//
光。」桌子旁邊的舊木衣櫃典雅復古，是夫婦二人初到香港時為自己挑選的禮物，意義非凡。
鑲嵌於陽台的瓷磚訴說著伊斯坦堡的家庭之旅，而主人房的畫作更是她精心挑選的裝飾品。「雖然我並不是一個專業的藝術家，但我十分清楚自己喜愛的風格，也非常欣賞這些有才之士的創作靈感。系列搜羅自菲律賓，灣仔藝文畫廊負責製作畫框和裝嵌。」房間每個角落充斥著度身訂造的元素，在珠海打造的床頭板正是一例。
浴室牆壁以造型獨特和顏色鮮明的瓷磚作點綴，反映屋主與別不同的性格。她指出：「我們喜愛風格迥異的浴室設計。我們兩人分別鍾情於洗水木造型地板和標誌性瓷磚的設計，室內裝潢正好就是兩者的結合。全新增設的大型窗戶更能讓家人能夠一邊浸浴，一邊享受綠林美景。」
常言道，心安即是家。每人都希望能以自己的方式建築歸處，可能是透過一件藝術品，或是一件精緻傢具。她總結：「我喜愛採用多樣化的傢具。它們總有訴說自身的力量，共你譜寫出一段美麗的家居故事。」//