Our regular Interiors features take a look through the keyhole into the homes of some of Shanghai's well known faces.
If one were to look up the expression ‘urban oasis’ in the dictionary, pictures of Lilian Au’s home would be right next to it. And perhaps that’s no surprise: the Hong Kong native is the China General Manager of furniture venture Indigo Living (that gorgeous store on Anfu Lu, in case you don’t know), so a discerning eye for attractive décor is clearly part of her DNA.
“I grew up surrounded by interesting design and furnishings,” she says, “and that has seeped through my aesthetic and approach to life – from the places I've worked at to the homes I've lived in over the years. I like simple but beautiful things.”
Her house, a renovated, expanded apartment in an old lane house off Huahai Zhong Lu, could be described just so.
Au moved into the flat two years ago, almost on a whim. “I lived in another historical building when I first got to Shanghai,” she says, ”but had loads of problems with it. I started looking for new places, and couldn’t find anything for a while. Then, one day, I returned from a business trip to Dubai and just thought, ‘I’m going to get something by tonight.’ And I did.” She moved in the following day, and slowly started making it her own.
The space shows 1930s wooden floors and iron frame windows alongside contemporary details and colors. Au had the wallpaper made to measure after finding a motif she liked on Pinterest. “Being in the furniture business means you can get almost anything you dream of made. The team at Indigo has been a great help in that respect.”
“I love a retro-turned-modern aesthetic,” says Au, “but also lots of exotic motifs, or random knick-knacks I find around. My style is clean and streamlined, but I like to surround myself with odd, unique bits.” That’s obvious in every corner of the house.
Au’s bedroom is like a dream, and features a tasteful blend of furnishings and items from some of the best furniture brands around, from Indigo Living to West Elm.
A loft area works as storage/closet space for Au. Underneath it is a minimal lounge corner perfect for reading. Despite working for Indigo Living, Au likes to point out that not everything she owns is from her company. On the contrary, “I am a huge furniture enthusiast, so I often go and pick up lots of items from other places too, or add personal items and mementos. As much as I love the brand and my job, I wouldn’t like my house to look like an Indigo Living showroom! It has to feel lived in.”
The kitchen is yet another example of Au’s clean, almost Scandi-inspired aesthetic.
A piece Au had made here, as an homage to her native Hong Kong.
Photos by Nicky Almasy. To see other interiors features, click here.
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