Space to Start

The start is always more exciting than the completion. When I arrived in Hong Kong from Manila, my first task was to organize my living quarters. The late Ian McLean, my employer, gave me the other half of his design studio to occupy. While I had the freedom to decorate my area, I had very limited funds. From whatever I could beg, borrow or scavenge, I managed to make my place inviting, cozy and interesting.

Wyndham St. bedroom

The built-in bed in an alcove serves as a divan by day. Since natural light was a problem, I painted the walls and cabinet white and covered the bed and cushions in white washable cotton. Inside the clear acrylic cube is an African drum matching the calf skin thrown over the faded ochre floor tiles. The black painted rattan chair is from the Philippines.

Wyndham St. kitchenette




To define the kitchenette without blocking the only window, I made an arch and installed in the ceiling the wooden logs requisitioned from my employer. I installed bricks on the floor to complete the Mediterranean feel. The two free standing wooden Corinthian columns, borrowed from a friend, are purely decorative.




Ian McLean design studio


This is the design studio where I worked. In the seventies, there are many discarded things one can pick up from the streets of Hong Kong for nothing. One of my finds is a Chinese screen that I converted into a pair of doors and a wall panel for the bed alcove. I repainted them white to blend with the brick walls.



FROM THE READERS
"I really enjoyed your website. It was incredible. I am a student at Portland State University
majoring in Interior Design. The ideas you have conveyed here are remarkable. "
Geniece Aurora Battle, Portland. USA; Feb'99
[Book Cover] | [Contents] | [Foreword] | [Introduction] | [Formative Years] | [Space to Start] | [Tools of Trade] [Concept Renderings] | [First Break] | [East by Southeast] | [Working Manner] | [Space Transitions] | [Seasons' Home] | [Sunsets' Place] | [Pied á Terre] | [Something Different] | [Restrained Elegance] | [Dream Zones] | [In Comfort] [Prestige Investments] | [Asian Gallery] | [Lighting] | [Objects] | [Flowers] | [Afterword] | [Professional Profile] [Personal Profile] | [Sign Guestbook] | [Guestbook]
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