Worked on for over several months since last summer, this beautifully renovated apartment is home to Walter, Sandy and their two children Caitlin, 7 and Kyle, 9 who are finally settled in and happy with the results.
“It’s been a busy few months”, Walter explains, “I’m out of town a lot with work so all credit is due to Sandy, she’s done everything!”
Walter, originally from Inverness in Scotland, is a 30-plus year veteran of the fitness business, currently Director of WM Consultants, Spa, Leisure and Fitness, providing setting up, training and management expertise in multi-facility complexes around Asia. Sandy is Senior Manager, Projects, for Galaxy Project Development, looking after the office administration which, with new phases of the property soon to be opened, has been hectic to say the least.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Macau, Sandy met Walter in 1999 when he was managing the resort at the then Hyatt, now the Regency Hotel, and she was heading the membership department. “I used to work for him and now he works for me!” she jokes.
The MacDonalds bought their ninth floor apartment in 2003, and so after ten years they felt it well overdue for some updating. The 1,500 square feet layout includes a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom, a twin bed room for the children, and “our work in progress” multipurpose third bedroom which doubles as an office, and children’s play room.
The colour palate throughout the home is in restful neutrals. Whites, pale creams, beige, and the use of reflective surfaces all enhance the sense of space. The teakwood floors throughout give off light and glow with differing warm wooden tones.
Juxtaposed to this is the brighter light from grey metal chandeliers and clever use of mirrors; alongside the dining table, one whole wall is covered with large beveled mirror panels set in a diagonal direction.
“I showed my contractor a picture I found and asked him to copy it,” smiles Sandy.
A lovely and rather unusual detail is the mother of pearl shell tiles covering the wall below the main living room window – another clever technique of catching the natural light and introducing a very subtle touch of colour to the otherwise neutral tones of the room.
One of the major jobs of the renovation was to open up the old kitchen, replacing the dividing wall with a sliding French window-style glass panel partition. This makes the living area feel larger, lets in a lot more light to both spaces, retains cooking smells and noise, and keeps a sense of connectivity between cook and the rest of the family. The kitchen floor is a tile in lookalike wood giving an overall feel of continuity of space.
So given their demanding schedules how did they manage to find time to renovate their home?
“It was a matter of trying to manage my time carefully and I bought most of the things on line from the China website Tao Bao,” explains Sandy. “You can find anything from building materials to furniture, carpets, simply anything for the home. Payment terms are easy and they deliver door to door”.
Whilst the convenience factor is clear, the skill of course comes in bringing individual items together that are sympathetic to each other, and fit like a puzzle to make the overall look pleasing.
“I was faced with thousands of choices,” Sandy groans, “making the choice was the most time consuming part of this renovation”.
The dining table with clear glass top and sturdy cream central base was ordered on line.
“It was a risk to order such a large piece as I really had no idea what it would look like,” but happily it fits ideally.
As for the dining chairs: “They also were found on Tao Bao and came from Shanghai and were around 600RMB each, so a fraction of the price that they might cost in Macau. I like the button back design and the stud-lined sloping arms.”
The cream colour fabric compliments perfectly the weave patterned cream rug under the table.
Central to the living room is another cream rug with an eye-catching black butterfly design, also ordered on Tao Bao. The black is carried through to the seat and throw cushions of the cream sofa and matching oversized foot stool, purchased from the very useful and conveniently located Ou Mei Furniture Plaza in Taipa on ‘McDonald’s roundabout’.
Three sections in the living area have concealed upper lighting that throws a light up to the ceiling.
“Lighting makes a big difference to a home and used well can make it feel warmer,” says Sandy.
Further efforts to capture light can even be seen in the wall hangings: a number of striking silver Chinese tribal necklaces in elegant dark wood frames.
Several blue and white potteries from the shops by St Paul’s steps behind Senado Square, together with an orchid plant sitting atop a slim, lacquer painted Chinese side table to one end of the sofa give this home’s contemporary design a gentle Asian touch.
Further Asian influence can be seen on the front of the pale coffee-cream coloured TV cabinet. Its geometric design echoes a small divider wall between the end of the hallway and the living room made up of terracotta tiles from Beijing with traditional Chinese emblem.
“They were ordered through Tao Bao, very heavy and very fragile, originally grey and I had my contractor soak them in white paint.” When dry they were carefully installed back to back in the wall panel. “I really love these!” Sandy enthuses.
At the end of the hall that then leads into the bedroom section of the apartment, the wall is covered with a stunning wall paper of large white flowers on a yellow background.
“Also from Tao Bao,” laughs Sandy, “I just saw the picture online and gave them the size of the wall. It cost about 500RMB … and about twice that to have it installed!”
The neutral palate of whites and beige are carried through into the master bedroom. A simple white chandelier hangs above the button back headboard and bed with lift up storage underneath. Two Chinese style cabinets serve as chests of drawers; they came from the fast dwindling furniture stores near the Ruins of St Paul’s.
And instead of built in wardrobes, in a nook behind the door is hanging space, cordoned off with a hessian style fabric curtain – a clever space and cost saving idea that also keeps clothes naturally ventilated.
The children’s room is charmingly decorated in pale blue and yellow – with Caitlin’s Barbies lined up neatly in the window seat, and some photos of Kyle’s hero, tennis player (and Scotsman), Andy Murray!
A helmet on the desk in the third bedroom gives away one of Walter’s passions outside the fitness world; beautiful, fast motor bikes! He had two Ducatis, a 1199 and a 999 kept at the track in Zhuhai, both of which he recently sold.
“The 999 was the first and only one in Macau bought in 2006… there used to be only a few Ducati’s in Macau, but as the economy has improved there are over 100 and are no longer a rare sight here. His new bike is a KTM 1290r; “There are only six KTM’s in Macau at the moment and only three in black!”