A period 1940s building in Happy Valley had been on Nadia Grainger’s radar for some time. Thirty years to be exact, since when she first moved to Hong Kong to be with her now-husband. So it was a dream come true when an apartment came up for rent there that met her requirements for high ceilings, ample storage, and plenty of character and light. “For me, it represents old Hong Kong. The way houses used to be built here – spacious, lots of light, and very generous with proportions,” Nadia says. 

Given this, no structural changes were needed but Nadia’s preoccupation with interior decoration was put into full effect. “I’ve always been interested in interior design,” says Nadia. “I think you either have it or you don’t. Maybe it’s an influence from my childhood. My mother has a strong style too.” Perhaps the most bold move was painting the hallway teal blue, a strong look that sets the scene for the home’s eclectic interior. “The colour really spoke to me. I thought it would be very Art Deco,” says Nadia. “I only painted one wall though so as not to go off the colour.” This corner of colour is consciously offset by the white walls and dark wood furniture of the open-plan sitting and dining room, and the orangery-like space to one side that is abundant with planting. Further accents of colour come from the blue swing doors leading to the kitchen, which Nadia had made with oval-shaped windows so as to let light through the house.

It is not only colour that draws the eye here though. Shelving and decorative tables showcase various travel trinkets and artistic objects, while the dining table is laid with blue and white antique china from a shop on Hollywood Road, and the ceilings hung with chandeliers from France where Nadia is originally from. Vintage furniture from Nadia’s sourcing trips to Bali and China blend seamlessly to create a storied look. “My friends call me a wizard, but my husband wishes I was more like Marie Kondo,” Nadia says of her collecting. “When my friends come over, they don’t know where to look. It’s like Ali Baba’s cave! But every object, every piece has a story – where I found it, why I bought it, what makes it special to me. I like to mix the old and the new, things from Africa, things from Asia. It’s an eclectic look that I feel reflects my personality, and my history and life as well.” Nadia’s curation of artwork also tells a story. There are noticeable works by Wong Ping and Ju Ming, alongside a nude photograph by Nadia’s friend and artist Nguyen Thank Binh and an oversized thread of blue worry beads bought in Israel. 

Fabrics are another key focus to Nadia’s interior design aesthetic, and she sources them from contacts around the world, particularly in Marrakech, but also closer to home, in Sham Shui Po, where she found the linen for her curtains. “You can give a space just a simple upgrade with fabric,” says Nadia. “I’ll change my entire home every year just with my cushions and curtains. I like to do a winter look and a summer look. I love to use the cushions for a splash of color on a simple sofa or to show off an exciting pattern or print. I’m always changing up my cushions to explore different colour palettes and moods.” In her two children’s bedrooms, Nadia has made the bed quilts herself out of some of her favourite fabrics, while she’s repurposed an old rug into cushions.