Laws of attraction
When a legal couple gave their Repulse Bay flat a facelift, dark was swapped for light and recycling was a must
Text and styling Anji Connell / Photography Jonathan Wong
As Catherine Zeta-Jones famously said, “For marriage to be a success, every woman and every man should have her and his own bathroom.” The Welsh actress, whose motto continues to resonate among interior renovators worldwide, would probably also agree that, like any marriage, bathrooms need a regular overhaul.
That’s how British barristers Mary and James Thomson felt having lived for almost a decade in their 2,288 sq ft Repulse Bay flat, into which they moved in 2004 with their two sons, now at university in Britain.
With the entire building getting a facelift anyway, they felt it was the perfect time to give a nip/tuck not just to their two bathrooms (which were “looking a little tired and worn”, says James) but to the whole three-bedroom, sea-view apartment. They also wanted to revamp their “very ugly” main bedroom, which lacked light because a big, walk-in wardrobe blocked a window.
The couple began looking for inspiration in magazines and shops. It was while browsing through bathroom fittings in a Wan Chai store that a name was recommended to them: Nirender Lehar, of Leehar Home, who works not only as both designer and contractor, but is also a commercial pilot.
“After our horrible experience with a contractor years earlier it was a delight to meet him,” says James, referring to some shoddily made kitchen cupboards built for the couple shortly after they moved in.
