A long-standing family home gets a feng-shui friendly makeover
French designer Iman El Zeky breathed new life into a duplex in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong, crafting bespoke pieces and introducing colours for a chic space
It’s not always easy changing the interior of a long-standing family home. Sisters Charlene and Sophie Marrié, who jointly own and run a landscape design business in Hong Kong, describe how their mother would frequently try to restyle their 3,230 sq ft Discovery Bay duplex while their father couldn’t understand why perfectly good pieces ever needed to be swapped out.
Meeting French interior designer Iman El Zeky, who runs the eponymous Iman El Zeky Studio in Hong Kong and Paris, gave them all the inspiration and confidence they needed to shake things up.
“Our place was homey and interesting but had a very busy vibe,” says Sophie, echoing Charlene. The sisters grew up in the home along with their younger brother, but now live in Sheung Wan. “Our mum had struggled to find a designer she gelled with and ended up with so many different styles trying to decorate the home herself. She was constantly moving furniture around. We all had an instant connection with Iman and it made sense to work with her to give our home the cohesive look it needed.”
Because the property had been renovated in recent years, the required design work was cosmetic rather than structural. Although the home has six bedrooms and four bathrooms, the family decided on a makeover that concentrated on the living areas as well as the main bedroom – a combined space of 1,615 sq ft that took three months to plan and another three to refurbish.
The family wanted a timeless, elegant and tranquil home that reflected a sense of place and incorporated feng shui principles. El Zeky mixed existing items of furniture with beautifully crafted bespoke pieces in teak, travertine and oak, many of which she designed herself, balancing them with soft, custom-made French and Moroccan rugs and comfy seating, upholstered in Pierre Frey fabrics.
Charlene recalls how her mother had always been too scared to use colour and typically reverted to white so while El Zeky opted for a neutral background, she also eased the family gently out of their comfort zone, by suggesting colourful elements such as a dusky pink sofa in the family room and purple stools in the main living area.
