Creating your own destiny
It was a lovely evening at the charming BluHouse and my friend and I were engaged in a fierce debate on whether she should leave her job because of an unpleasant work culture.
On the one hand, it seemed a fair enough reason for her to call it quits, but I was still unsure. As someone who has lived and worked abroad, I assured her there’s no perfect place or job anywhere on the planet. And, if there is anything I have learnt from the many design visionaries I talk to, it’s that we don’t search for the perfect home (or job), but we try to create one.
Such an ethos is the common thread among the charming homes that grace this issue. In a municipality near Barcelona, a duplex in an unusual triangular floor plan has been given a smart redo that turns the many odd angles into charming, practical living zones.
Even with an effective layout, a 58-year-old apartment in the MidLevels had a lot of unexplored potential before undergoing a genius reconfiguration led by home-grown design firm hoo, with the result being a bright and commodious space with a tasteful balance between openness and privacy. Turn to page 76 and find out how.
In a heritage building in Lisbon, a warm, earthy palette, nature-geared furniture, and a rehabilitated 19th century building façade come together for a modern country abode with a historical flair.
On page 54, Brazilian financial service executive Renato Lulia Jacob and wife Emily Perry let us into their loving home in Brazil that channels a charming indigenous note. Finishes in jade-like Pakistani onyx, a wall niche with a small brass key bowl resembling a church holy water font, and a series of Brazilian artworks, make for an inner sanctum reflective of their past living in London, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires.
In Shopping, a host of furniture and accessories in autumn-inspired hues are here to help you breeze into the cooler season; while Spaces offers glimpses into a new suite in London’s Town Hall Hotel dressed by London-based furniture maker Jan Hendzel. Enjoy the issue.
一個晚上，我與友人在意大利餐廳Bluhosue內爭論她應否因為不同意公
司文化而請辭。儘管這個理由聽起來非常合理，我卻不敢苟同。
曾經在不同地方居住及工作的經驗告訴我，世界上沒有完美的地方，也沒有完美的工作，同樣沒有完美的家居。與其尋尋覓覓、四處搜索一份完美工作、一套完美居所，倒不如發揮自己的影響力，改善公司文化，或就地取材，按照自己的喜好打造出最理想的生活空間，這亦是我在不少室內設計師身上得到的啟發。
此一理念貫徹了今期為大家介紹的家居案例。位於巴塞隆拿附近的一套複式單位受罕見的多邊形格局所限，是不少室內設計師的惡夢。但經過巧妙規劃，設計師成功把室內的多個奇怪角落改造成迷人的實用生活空間。
即使受惠於方正佈局的先天優勢，一套擁有近60年樓齡的中半山單位仍然擁有大量未開發的潛力。經過設計公司hoo的匠心改造，單位變成明亮寬敞、完美平衡開放和隱私空間的雅致家居。
在里斯本一幢歷史建築中，溫暖樸實的色調、充滿自然元素的家具以及一道經修復的19世紀外牆，併湊出一套散發歷史氣息的現代住宅。而在巴西，金融主管Renato Lulia Jacob和妻子Emily Perry的家園散發迷人的本地風情。翡翠般的巴基斯坦縞瑪瑙飾面、設有黃銅盤子的壁龕，加上一系列巴西藝術品，充分反映夫婦倆曾經在倫敦、里斯本和布宜諾斯艾利斯的生活回憶。
另外，今期購物專題為大家帶來一系列秋色家具，讓清涼季節更添暖意；我們同時亦為大家介紹位於倫敦大會堂酒店內的全新套房，由倫敦家具設計師Jan Hendzel悉心打造，充滿樸實柔和的自然氣息。希望你喜歡。