A passion for and job in the arts, and being married to an artist (Daniel Touff) meant that when Katherine Don was re-located to Hong Kong from LA in 2014, as well as a home, she needed to find additional space to store and appreciate a burgeoning art collection. On the south side of Hong Kong island, Wong Chuk Hang, with its large industrial warehouses, posed an opportunity.
A stack of white beaded Balinese rice baskets make a striking addition to the sitting room
The place Katherine came across here was an old toy factory, in the middle of demolition. “It was a swampy-looking construction site,” she says. “It hadn’t been touched since the building was first built in the 1970s, and I remember it was really raw.” But the couple saw potential in the amount of space and the ample natural light from the warehouse-style layout and windows. “We ripped out everything and then put up the minimal amount of walls possible to create a few different spaces.” Namely, this allowed for two large, open-plan rooms, with original exposed concrete floors and fresh white walls, interconnected via a sliding door.
The first functions as a gallery space (often hosting private viewings), storing a rotating art collection as well as an abundance of indoor plants, illuminated by two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows; the second is a sociable kitchen, sitting and dining room space that opens out onto a flower-filled terrace. “Technically I like to think I have a green thumb, as I’m from Hawaii and I love plants, but it’s hard to find time to give them the attention they deserve so many of them are just hearty survivors,” says Katherine of the plants she sourced in Sai Kung. As well as the two larger rooms, there’s a studio and workspace for Dan and the fellow artist he shares it with.
A collection of scholar’s stones - prized objects of contemplation in the Chinese tradition
Works of art sit amongst plants sourced in Sai Kung
Having restored the place into a large open-plan space, Katherine enjoys sharing it with friends by entertaining often, a rarity in a city like Hong Kong, where space is a premium. Surrounded by art, she hosts anything from a 100-person benefit to Sunday brunch with friends, letting the kids out onto the terrace, “where there’s space to run.”
Being Head of Arts and Culture Development at Asia Society, Katherine oversees all of its exhibitions and related arts initiatives. “The idea of connecting with people through the arts and being able to do that through this mission driven platform and culture center is really exciting for me. My whole job is engaging and educating an audience by telling untold stories through the lens of art,” Katherine says of her work. “To have the opportunity to work directly with pioneering artists, innovative curators and world-class collections is an incredible honour and pleasure.”
Lamps sourced from a Hong Kong wet market hang over the kitchen island
As a result of her career – that began in New York’s gallery scene, before Beijing and, later, building the contemporary ink art department at Sotheby’s – Katherine’s personal art collection is constantly evolving. Showcasing in the space right now: various Japanese woodblock prints including irises by Ando Hiroshige—similar to the ones that inspired and were collected by Monet; a large camera obscura image of the Los Angeles Hollywood sign by New York-based photographer Shi Guorui; an impressive pencil drawing of a crashing wave by her husband Dan; a 1990s layered ink painting by French-Chinese artist Yang Jiechang; a two sided accordion book telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood by Kiki Smith (a visiting professor at Columbia University where Katherine and Dan met); and a collection of scholar’s stones—prized objects of contemplation in the Chinese tradition, admired for their abstract form. Stacks of black and white Balinese rice baskets make for a striking addition.
In the entrance hall is a two sided accordion book telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood by Kiki Smith
The entrance to the studio, which was a former toy factory
While the couple are drawn towards monochromatic art, their decorating is enhanced with colour: the kitchen’s red pendant lamps, sourced from a Hong Kong wet market; a set of red Pantone chairs; a yellow Eames chair; and vintage Moroccan rugs. Katherine and her husband have filled the space with furniture and objects old and new, many with a connection to their friends in design, to make it feel like an extension of their home.
A sliding door connects the sitting room with the gallery space
The sofa – a wedding present – was designed by a friend who owns Beijing-based lifestyle company Lost and Found
“Decoration-wise, what’s important to us is the personal connection and stories – so much is connected to our friends,” says Katherine. “When we collect, we collect together – I’m very lucky that my husband has a very good eye and we can make these decisions together.” There’s the little green sofa in the hall – a wedding present – designed by a friend who graduated from Columbia with the couple, before moving to Beijing to start a lifestyle company called Lost and Found. There are the ribbon shelves and extendable oak dining table, both designed by a friend in Austria whose company, OneforHundred, plants 100 trees for every piece of furniture sold. There’s the chess carved made by Katherine’s father using all the hard wood found when they ripped out the flooring at her family home in Maui. There’s the rug in the sitting room designed by friends Brad and Janis, originally artists from New York in the 70s and 80s, whose paintings were collected by MOMA and Whitney, and who later started Fort Street Studio (with a showroom in Wong Chuk Hang), selling hand-knotted silk rugs of their own designs, created by a team in Hangzhou. “I’ve always wanted one of these – it was a big splurge, and my husband will probably never forgive me – but every step on it is such a delight,” says Katherine.
Hanging artwork includes a map of Maui, where Katherine’s family live
The studio is decorated with vintage furniture and rugs
Unlike the common urgency of decorating a home, this has been a slow and painless process, with art, furniture and objects almost finding their own way here, to be preserved and appreciated. The subsequent abundance of form and texture throughout makes the space feel like a cabinet of curiosities, bolted behind unassuming warehouse doors.
Editor
Alice Riley-SmithCredit
Photography: Mitchell Geng
