Eclectic, unique and brimming with energy – Diane Nittke’s home is in many ways a reflection of her own personality. The 2,100 square foot, three-storey house is located in the midst of Sai Kung’s lush greenery, in a small village called Pik Uk. An unassuming grey exterior gives way to unexpected life and vivacity: tabletops are filled with trinkets and memorabilia, the floor is lined with patterned rugs and flowers seem to flourish from the very house itself. Fitting, given that Diane is the founder of Ellermann flowers, a specialist floral boutique that creates bespoke, intricate arrangements akin to works of art. 

Upon entering the house, guests are greeted with a wide living area boasting high ceilings and an open airy feel. An emerald-green sofa centrepiece from Sonder Living sits on one side of the coffee table, while a custom leather daybed from Cotton Tree Interiors is placed opposite. The two chairs before the table are vintage, sourced through secondhand lifestyle store Infrastructure. Diane is not one to buy into decor trends, carefully curating her home with furniture and homeware that speaks to her. “I either buy timeless investment pieces which I keep for a lifetime or I buy second hand from flea markets and vintage/antique shops.” 

One of the investment pieces in Diane’s home is the Subzero fridge and a golden light fixture from Jonathan Adler, perfectly poised above the OVO dining table which has been decorated with Ellermann’s Christmas collection. Shades of signature Ellermann pink are present throughout carnations, preserved hydrangeas, amaryllis and more. The brand, which just celebrated their 10th anniversary, has also launched their very own line of vases, candles and more for the first time ever. “We have always carried a few selected gift ideas and vases to complement our arrangements, so creating The Ellermann Series was a natural evolution.” The candle “Berta’s Garden” is reminiscent of her grandmother’s garden in Germany, invoking the smells and sights of a European backyard with scents of eglantine, sweet pea, wild carnations, phlox and dahlia.

Adding life and pizzazz to Diane’s home are her many relics and souvenirs, collected throughout her travels and each with a unique story behind it. “I have missed planes only to go back to find that one little vendor at a market whose one particular piece I had fallen in love with”, Diane explains. On her Rimadesio shelving unit from The Madison Group are just a few of many such pieces dispersed throughout her home: hand-carved monks from Burma sit alongside paintings from Bali, ceramic parrots from Beijing and other international finds for a truly eclectic collection of meaningful trinkets. 

Diane’s worldwide travels continue up her stairwell, which is lined with artwork curated from around the world, with pieces discovered from various antique shops and art galleries. One of her “finds” was a ceramic artist and painter called Hinrich Kroeger whom she stumbled across in Berlin. “I immediately fell in love with his work which is a synthesis of visual art and form skilfully and whimsically combining elements of painting with the shapes of pottery. There is an air of “punk” to his work which I love because it’s very “Berlin”” Diane was such a fan that she collaborated with Kroeger on an exclusive collection of vases for Ellermann’s 10 year anniversary, which will be sold and exhibited in Hong Kong this coming spring.