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An East-West Partnership

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The Chinese good luck papers on and above the front door, together with the collection of antique English walking sticks in a tall blue and white ceramic stand, set the scene for what is inside this interesting home, and are the first signs that it is inspired by a true blend of cultures. 
 
In the entrance hall, one is met with a huge carved rosewood mirror with emblems of bats (the pronunciation of the word ‘bat’ in Chinese is the same as ‘luck’) and dragons, and below it a large Western style table lamp on a black lacquer Chinese alter table, scented candles and a simple handmade ceramic dish from Malta.  Shoes off at the door, and one’s feet sink immediately into one of the thick red Afghan carpets in the hallway.
 
Being the top floor of the building, the apartment has super-high ceilings, easily 12-feet high, which give each room an airy, spacious feel, and also lends itself to the oversized furnishings.
 
Reflected in the mirror above the dining table is the balcony, and beyond, the expanse of pale blue sea, with one of those picture-perfect postcard views of the Macau skyline, and to the left the island of Hengqin busily being transformed.
 
The Wongs arrived in Macau about 10 years ago, and until recently were die-hard peninsular residents, living on the lakes or on Guia Hill overlooking the reservoir.  
 
“We’ve always lived in homes that have views of the water” says Ron, “I guess this is an essential fung shui element for us to feel comfortable and it’s what drew us to this apartment in Ocean Gardens”.
 
This couple rarely eat at home, choosing to entertain or meet friends in one of their favourite local restaurants, so the dining table is really only suitable for two places, four at the most. But like all the pieces in this home it has an interesting story to tell – it was made by a friend in Hong Kong who used it as her after dinner games table, and when she returned to America she gave it to Sue in memory of all those mahjong games they’d enjoyed over the years!
 
The canopy bed in the living room, which they use as a day-lounger, is “almost antique”, bought in one of those crowded furniture warehouses inland from Zhuhai.  Blue and white embroidered throw pillows on the bed compliment the blue and white ceramic container collection on top of the red wedding chest nearby, while blue and white ceramic elephants (one Indian, one Chinese) face the direction of the front door.  
 
A Korean chest is another precious possession, this one found in Dongshan.
 
“I love all the bits of metal work, I wish I’d bought more pieces…Korean furniture shops used to be lined up and down Hollywood Road in Hong Kong back in the 1980s,” Sue explains, “but sadly there are none today.”
 
Large lamps are placed in strategic positions so as to give a gentler light from below rather than oppressively from overhead.  
 
“The bigger the better when it comes to lamps,” exclaims Sue, “it’s something I picked up from my mother when we used to live in Japan and she’d buy beautiful huge ceramic lamps”.
 
 
 
More treasures are in the living room – a large bird cage, a gold lacquer bowl and gold-painted Buddha head sit on top of the cabinet that hides a theatre-size TV screen. There is also a Chinese horseshoe back chair, and another charming high-back ladies’ chair with a beautiful wood grain that gleams in the light.
 
“We enjoy collecting different shaped chairs, especially such pretty ones that can still be found when rummaging around in the markets across the border,” says Ron.
 
Red is undoubtedly a dominant force in the home, from two red walls, much of the furniture and tribal carpets, but it is softened and offset with a slate-grey L-shaped sofa – (custom-made in China) and a big cream-based carpet with grey and black Chinese motifs.
 
A reclining white marble Buddha rests cool and serene next to the tropical fish tank – Ron’s hobby – and again, that all important water element in this couple’s lives.
Another splash of colour – deep blue and bright orange – comes from an original Catherine Bjerke abstract painting.  
 
“Catherine is an exciting Norwegian artist and we saw this painting in one of her exhibitions in Macau a few years ago. I was drawn to it immediately.  All our friends tend to have a Bjerke original or two in their homes, we love her art and we love her!” laughs Sue.
 
Venturing further into the apartment, there is the blue guest room, with its ceiling to floor pale blue curtains and a blue and white hand painted paper screen behind the bed.  A Shanghainese dressing table and stool in exquisite ‘tiger skin’ wood, and a ‘second wife’ chair complete the furnishings.
 
The master bedroom features a huge Indonesian teak wood bed: “it’s probably 40 or 50 years old by now. It started life in one of the VIP suites of the Repulse Bay in Hong Kong”.  Behind the bed hangs a giant painting by friend and well-respected local artist, Australian, Denis Murrell.
 
Another great find is a seven-foot long table in the third bedroom.  
 
“This table has an interesting story to it”, says Sue, “I first came across it when it was the lobby table in the old Furama Hotel in Hong Kong.  When the hotel closed before being knocked down, I rescued this table and the lamp that was on it, together with a beautiful, ornately painted black lacquer cabinet from the first floor ladies’ bathroom!”  
The table, complete with water marks and wine stains from over the years, now serves as their home office desk.  
 
And in the kitchen are more remnants from when the Furama Hotel closed down – hanging from a high rail is a collection of commercial-sized cooking implements from the hotel’s revolving restaurant.   
 
“Imagine the stories they could tell of meals that they helped cook”, suggests Sue.    
 
The Wong’s apartment is another example of a lovely home that can be found behind closed doors in obscure and outwardly, quite tired-looking, unattractive buildings in Macau. Their cornucopia of treasures certainly leaves the visitor with thought provoking ideas to experiment with when back in their own homes. 
 

 

 

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