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SAI KUNG SHOWCASE
37
Aug-Sep15
A
lexandra Sheldon is possibly
the only person in Hong
Kong with a living wall that
also doubles as a vegetable
garden. So the lush vertical screen of
plants (a hot design trend right now
with architects and garden designers)
adds drama to the pretty little patio
garden in Alex’s Sai Kung home, but
also produces tasty tomatoes, salad
leaves and herbs!
It’s totally logical for Alex, whose
mantra is all about getting the most out
of one’s existing possessions – a mantra
she’s used to build her flourishing
business, The Home Stylist. Alex and her
team help people re-organise, renovate
A few simple principles underscore ALEXANDRA SHELDON’s
family home in Sai Kung: clever combinations, a lack of clutter
and an emphasis on comfort.
and re-style their homes into elegant
spaces: “It’s all about working with
what you’ve got: you don’t have to throw
everything away and start again,” she
maintains. “People want to come home
and relax, and it’s difficult to do that if
your home is overflowing with stuff. I go
into people’s apartments and say, ‘Let’s
have one piece here instead of five’, and
‘Let’s pack this away until next winter’.
You can see the relief on their faces
straight away – if you have a uncluttered
home, you have an uncluttered mind!”
Being Alex, her advice comes with
an inimitable sense of style but also
a healthy dose of humour and good
sense; advised by her feng shui master
to hang a wind chime in son Ben’s room,
she set about creating her own using a
wooden stag’s head and a selection of
Ben’s medals. “He’s 10, and I knew he
wouldn’t want a wind chime in his room,”
she confides. “But the effect is the same;
clink the medals together and the chime
is identical!”
For this family, comfort is definitely
the order of the day – Alex’s husband
Jeremy was adamant he didn’t want
to come home to concrete floors and
minimalist furnishings – so there are
plenty of soft carpets, springy sofas and
overstuffed cushions to sink into at the
end of a long day. But look more closely,
and it becomes clear Alex has carefully
engineered this tranquil environment;
it’s all about the clever combining of
furniture and features from a variety of
different styles and periods.
Comfort
First
By Tara Jenkins; photography by Helen Jenkins