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Family First

by
Canadian Brian Lay and his Australian wife Bev have called Macau their home for almost eight years.  Brian is Managing Director of building construction management and contracting firm Icon Projects, and Bev is an artist and full time mum to seven beautiful children, Ethan, Anastasia, Olivia, Genevieve, Gabriel, Solomon and Victoria.
 
When Brian first found their 11th floor duplex apartment in Pearl on the Lough in Taipa back in 2007, it was in its original standard base building finish.  Bev and the family were still in Australia at the time, so he set about preparing things for their arrival. 
 
The floors throughout the apartment were perfectly respectable and in good condition, so these were left alone.  The walls and ceilings on the other hand, had been painted with a cheap white paint, and Brian was alarmed by the mould that appeared on the surface especially near and above the windows.  He invested in a good quality Dulux mould-resistant paint – “40% more expensive but we’ve never seen mould since” he says.  
 
On the furnishings, “the whole point of it was to be modular for maximum flexibility as the family grew” Brian explains.  
 
Every square inch is thoughtfully used.  It was a team effort, with both contributing towards the design; Brian having good spatial awareness and Bev focusing on the details and practicalities.  
 
In the living room, the massive leather sofa is in equal-sized 1 meter x 1 meter sections that can be moved around to make up separate armchairs, or additional sections to stretch out on.  Side tables and headrests too can be moved from section to section. 
 
A pile of matching white leather floor mats sits neatly in the corner ready for one of the family’s movie nights.  A projector sits on top of a shelf room divider, and a huge ceiling-mounted screen descends at the press of a button.  The mats are laid out for the younger children to lie on whilst the adults and bigger children can lounge on the higher sections.
 
The custom-built, long rectangular dining table with white leather, high-backed arm-chairs brings the dining and living area themes together. 
 
 
 
 
Once Brian had the concept and sketches ready, he had an architect friend at HEAD Architecure and Design Limited Hong Kong produce the set of drawings.  
 
“They recommended some design elements – such as the wave pattern in the TV wall unit that is replicated upstairs in the master bedroom wardrobe doors” – all the more appropriate given the sensational sea views that the apartment commands.  
 
“Where at all possible we tried to avoid touching the core of the apartment with built-ins.  Nearly all the furniture is free standing so that if we move, it can come with us and we don’t have to waste money ripping it out and making good the walls”.  
 
Case in point, the 6-piece TV consol with doors and drawers that open for storage behind.  No part of this is attached to the walls.
 
There’s lots of white to enhance the sense of spaciousness and light.  The white leather comes from very good quality cowhides that the Lays personally selected from Australia and had shipped to the furniture manufacturers in Tangxia city, Guangdong, China.  
 
In contrast, a beautiful orange, ‘Egyptian Sun’, feature wall brightens up the dining area and then flows up the stairs.  The striking colour is reflected in the TV consul unit’s alcoves and niches in the living area.
 
Being in the construction business in a casino town has its benefits when it comes to having access to furniture samples no longer needed.  Operators are constantly trying out new designs, new fabrics and furnishings, and if they don’t work out, the items tend to be unceremoniously dumped.  As Brian was working on the apartment, mock up rooms from a hotel-casino project in a warehouse in Pak On were being disposed of.  Brian paid for the entire warehouse contents and sorted out the items that he would find useful in his new home.  Beds, mattresses, a number of big modern funky-looking table lamp bases, some eye catching abstract artwork with beautiful quality frames – all these came in very handy.  The artwork in particular has become much treasured by the family.
 
The apartment layout upstairs includes a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom with separate bath and shower – this for Brian and Bev and the youngest of their brood.  
 
Two further bedrooms with a communal bathroom sleep two children in one, and three in another.  Downstairs there is a good-sized fourth bedroom for 16-year-old Ethan. 
 
One of the advantages of the apartment is that most rooms have deep window seating that helps optimize space and makes for inviting nooks.  Filled with cozy cushions, these are ideal for the children to curl up on with a book or simply to enjoy the stunning views when they need some quiet, alone-time.  
 
Colour schemes in the children’s bedrooms are sunny yellows and oranges tempered with white.  A striking mustard-lime feature wall and side cabinet, floor-to-ceiling light wood hanging cabinets and dressing table are used in the master.  
 
“Space is a premium for us” explains Bev, “and so we’ve created storage under the beds, and custom built floor to ceiling wardrobes.”  In the master bedroom, wood veneer tables on wheels tuck neatly under the bed and are pulled out as useful side tables when needed.  
 
“Yes”, agrees Brian, with such a large family, “every so often we need a cull of our possessions to keep things to the essentials”.  Orderliness is crucial, as demonstrated in a downstairs storeroom, where each family member’s suitcases are neatly stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling.  The children’s folded towels and swimwear are tidily hanging on individual hooks.
 
There is clearly an artistic vein running through the family.  Several of the children display their artwork on the walls in their bedrooms.  For Bev, her studio area is tucked into a corner of the living area.  A graduate of the Institute of Technology in Sydney, her fashion design major was inspired by her Greek heritage and the incredibly intricate 17th and 18th century embroidered lace from her grandmother. 
 
“The beauty”, Bev says, “is that you see something different every time you look at it”.  
 
Her very finely detailed black ink work has evolved more recently into larger floral abstracts that introduce vibrant colours of hot pinks, purples, blues and yellows inspired by the vividly decorated hand-made Ikaros pottery from Rhodes, Greece.  A large picture book of stunning still life flowers by Eduard Koinberg, ‘Floral Romance’ (Taschen) adds further inspiration.  
 
“Painting calms me to my core” smiles Bev. “When I paint, my feelings are very much reflected in what comes out on the paper”.  One tends to feel that this gentle calm, mixed with brightly coloured energy and optimism, is a good analogy for the sense within this home.   Firm discipline and control – essential for any large household – is underpinned with a great deal of love, which enchants, draws one in, and makes one feel privileged to have had a glimpse of life within this lovely family.  
 

 

 

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