S

ix years ago, this French family of four was desperate to find a new flat in Happy Valley – and had the good fortune of chancing upon this hidden gem with the help of their realtor. “We got kicked out of the last place and didn’t foresee that we would find something so much better,” recalls the homeowner. “So I learned that whenever something happens, you always have to think of the good opportunities coming up around the corner.” The immaculate low-rise residential building dates back to the 1930s, with traces of the period’s Bauhaus movement expressed through the ivory-toned building’s beautifully curved facade, which is mimicked in the arching terrazzo stone steps. The couple ventured over to view the building and, even before they saw its interiors, they instantly fell in love. When they stepped inside the cavernous three-bedroom apartment and took in its soaring 12-foot ceilings and enormous windows that flood in light from a quiet side street, they recognised that they’d stumbled on the find of a lifetime. The flat also presented the perfect opportunity for the homeowner to embrace her flair for decorating by filling the expansive home with belongings she’d collected over the decades. Buying her first artwork at just 20 years old, she counts scouring flea markets and auction houses as a lifelong passion – one she’d picked up from her father and has since passed down to her own children.