Living the dream

Polished and playful in equal measure, the Barbie Dreamhouseinspired Ho Man Tin home of a young family shows it may be possible to please everyone.

Their daughters might be just four and five years of age, but parents Eva Lee, a nurse, and Patrick

Tam, a doctor, gave them a big say in the decoration of their new family home in Ho Man Tin.

As for themselves, the couple wanted Chill Interior Design to provide overall sophistication.

The young family were moving from a much smaller home, where everyone had been packed into one bedroom.

Now with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, the 1,000 sq ft flat offered the opportunity “for creativity, autonomy and privacy”.

Recalling her own formative years at a time when children rarely had a say, Eva says, “We wanted to show them that their voice was heard.”

Chill Interior Design founder

Ronald Cheung Cheuk-man’s inspiration for the girls’ “fun play space” came from a number of sources, including the Barbie Dreamhouse. Each iteration of the world’s bestselling dollhouse released since 1962 has reflected a desire “for whimsy and escapism”, according to a 2022 book titled Barbie

Dreamhouse. Published by toymaker Mattel, it notes that, over time, the architecture and design of the dollhouse charts the evolution of the suburban American home.

Taking advantage of the room’s higher-than-normal ceiling, Cheung proposed an outsize platform bed accessed by a staircase trimmed with a whimsical detail (see Tried + tested).

Below the platform is a desk for two and, under the stairs, deep storage drawers, plus hers ’n’ hers wardrobes fashioned in a graceful arch. One wall is covered with animal-print wallpaper; another has a whiteboard finish on which the girls can draw freely. Pink, of course, is the dominant colour theme.

In later years, should the girls prefer separate beds, Cheung says the fixtures can be removed easily and the room reconfigured.

Modifying the door to the parents’ bedroom, and pushing their bed to one side of the room, enabled Cheung to incorporate additional wardrobes and drawers, a built-in desk and, at the end, a curved glass cabinet to display Eva’s collection of designer handbags, when they are eventually unpacked.

Cheung says fabricating and fitting

29 LIVING AND DINING AREA Alterations to the living area – a new tray ceiling plus a false wall accommodating storage space, a television niche and doorway to the main bedroom – were designed and completed by Chill Interior Design. The marble for the flooring was sourced in mainland China. The Ligne Roset sofa (ligne-roset.com) is complemented by a rug from Ikea (ikea.com.hk). The Chill-designed custommade dining table is paired with Gubi chairs from Nest (nest.co.uk), which was also the source for the Nuura light fitting. The Completedworks vases came from Farfetch (farfetch.com).

DINING AREA Decorative items on the buffet, designed by Chill Interior Design, came from Tom Dixon (tomdixon.net). The framed photograph in the corridor to the girls’ room is a Guy Bourdin print from AP8 (ap8.art).