How two Hong Kong village houses were transformed into a family retreat
Originally lacking both features and charm, two concrete boxes on Lantau Island become a tasteful ‘green’ sanctuary for mum and dad and a ‘red’ haven for the kids
This is a tale of two houses. Sitting side by side in a vivid green tropical garden, a stone’s throw from Lantau’s south coast, the two 2,100-square-foot properties form a rural bolt-hole for the family of Mary McBain, fund manager and co-owner of homeware store Inside. Between them, McBain and her husband – who married recently after more than a decade together – have four children in their teens and early 20s, who split their time between Hong Kong and Britain.
When they’re in Hong Kong, the kids have one house and the adults have the other. It’s a set up that suits everyone, with the young people free to invite friends over and make a rumpus while the grown-ups enjoy some peace and quiet next door.
This neat arrangement started as a single house – now mum and dad’s, with three bedrooms – acquired and renovated six years ago. The second property, with four bedrooms, was bought and refurbished three years later. The pair of 20-year-old concrete village houses, lacking features and charm, have been transformed. Today, they draw favourable comparisons with homes in other tropical settings, such as Sri Lanka and the Caribbean, a nod to their classic colonial style.
Placing the houses firmly on the south China coast are distinctly Hong Kong touches, including Cathay Pacific-green shutters and intricate balcony railings based on a Chinese screen. “I gave [the pattern] to my brilliant builder and asked him to copy it,” McBain says. “In Tai O, there are houses with balconies in concrete patterns, which are a bit similar so it’s not out of keeping on Lantau.”
Relaxed, comfortable and stylish, these are homes designed for weekends and holidays: think English country style on a tropical trip away. Colourful hammam towels and straw hats hang on racks in the hallways of both houses in a beachy echo of British country-house boot rooms. A stone fireplace forms the focal point of the parents’ living space, with a Pan Am poster advertising “The Orient” hanging above the mantelpiece. The palette is a fresh, breezy combination of greens and blues, with pops of red – a Moroccan ottoman, an Indian rug.
All my houses used to be red; the green is a departure. I bought a green oven for the kitchen, and my husband said, ‘OK, as long as everything doesn’t match’
This is Asian country living, which also happens to be the vibe of Inside. “I was a customer long before I bought into the company,” McBain says.