Hong Kong homes can be pretty white and uninspiring at first, but these 5 tips will help you bring the colour to your apartment
We’ve already talked about interior design for small apartments, love feng shui for the home and furniture stores in Hong Kong, but what about making your home more colourful? If you’re thinking of adding colour to your apartment, then these simple tips will make any small Hong Kong studio pop!
Adding colour to your apartment
Paint those walls
Adding a fresh lick of your paint to your walls is a speedy way to inject some life into your apartment and to make your house a home, even if it’s a small one. Most landlords are happy to let you do this if you agree to paint the walls back to the original colour before you move out – just be sure to check in with them first.
When I painted our living room (above), I wanted to give it a modern Scandi feel, and worked with the team at Eico who created the perfect blue/green for me. While they have a selection of pre-made colours available too, it’s pretty great that you can take an image of a colour you like, and they will make that colour for you. Best of all, you get to name your eco-friendly colour (mine’s obviously called Sophie’s Choice!)
Add coloured soft furnishings
One of the easiest, quickest and cheapest ways to add a splash of colour to your apartment is with soft furnishings. You can choose duvet covers, shower curtains, cushions and curtains from some of our favourite home stores in Hong Kong, and you’ll soon find yourself in an apartment brimming with life.
For our bedroom, I chose a double-sided duvet cover from Australian designer Gorman that shows cactuses on one side and red and white gingham on the other. Investing in a quality duvet cover may be more expensive at the start, but you’ll get greater wear out of it in the long run, and they really help get you in the mood for sleep (or at least reading in bed!)
P.S. the blue paint is another colour by Eico called Metropolitan, which I’m absolutely obsessed with.
Create a framed art gallery wall
Art is a really easy way to personalise your space. Take anything from family pictures to prints to photos, and get ready to make a gallery wall. You can mix and match different colours, shapes and sizes, in fact the more diverse the better.
To make your gallery, plan it on the floor first so you can see how all the pieces best fit together (kind of like a jigsaw puzzle.) Then it’s just a matter of measuring the distance between each of the hooks and putting the holes in the wall – et voila!
You can shop for prints at these art galleries in Hong Kong.
Plants and nic nacs
So, you’re thinking about adding colour to your apartment but you don’t know where to start? I suggest going out and stocking up on some indoor plants that are hardy and can live in the tropical Hong Kong climate. The natural greens, browns and yellows will instantly lift your home and your mood, plus you can choose coloured pots to funk them up even more.
You’ve probably bought tonnes of nic nacs during your travels too, so rather than hiding them in boxes, make sure you have them out on display to relive those memories and add a dose of colour. Or keep glass bottles from make-up or food, and use them to house small bunches of flowers; anything goes!
Display collections
Another great tip is to think if you have any collections. I didn’t even realise that I was buying a fan everywhere I went, and then all of a sudden I was collecting fans! They look great on the walls, and are easy enough to carry when I’m travelling without adding extra weight to my luggage.
Your collections could be anything from maps to vintage posters to magnets to postcards, but groups of anything on a wall adds a visual element that helps express your personality and helps add colour to your home.
