A nationally certified counselor and school counselor, Kris was from the midwest before moving to Portland, Oregon where she met her husband, Zach. After a decade in Portland they chose the island life of the Dominican Republic for three years and then continued on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam where their daughter, Emma was born. They lived in Saigon for four years before Zach was offered a position in administration he couldn’t pass up. Their new adventure brought them to their current country home of Hong Kong. Kris is taking the year off to spend time with Emma and loves living the countryside vibe of Hong Kong while having easy access to big city adventure.
Today we visit Kris’ pad in the town of Sai Kung and peek into her Hong Kong countryside home with its repurposed, wabi sabi style.
If you’re an expat who’d like to share your digs or know of someone who’s place would be a fabulous fit, please connect with us (drinkingthewholebottle [at] gmail.com) or share our post.
On wabi sabi.
Wabi sabi is a Japanese philosophy of finding the beauty in the imperfect. As a counselor, the aesthetic speaks deeply to me because it celebrates what some might see as damaged. These objects have a story. For me, it translates into repurposing found objects. A worn children’s school desk can be a side table or a discarded bamboo ladder can be a towel holder.
On the Great Outdoors… indoors.
I tend to use bright color sparingly and gravitate towards a natural palette. I also like bringing the outside in by incorporating natural items. Typically, I always have fresh flower arrangements or large tropical leaves in oversized vases. These look stunning and last for several weeks.
LIVING ROOM OFFICE
On Sai Kung.
Sai Kung is a fishing village that has that great mix of locals and expats that I was looking for. It has cute shops, restaurants and services that cater to expats but is still gritty enough to be interesting. There is a community feel here that is unlike anything I have experienced living abroad. Many expats have lived in Hong Kong for ten or more years, which creates a greater sense of connection between expats and locals. I know all the shopkeepers of the places I frequent; I go to a veggie market for my herbs, a meat market for imported organic meats and the zero waste store for bulk dry goods. The town is a destination for people living in the city to get away for a hike, a picnic, a boat ride, or to gorge themselves on fresh seafood.
MASTER BEDROOM
On opting for a smaller master bedroom.
When we viewed the apartment, the upstairs office and living room was the master bedroom, but I opted for a small bedroom and larger second common space. Thus, our room is small, but it works for us.
On custom-made, moveable furniture.
I mounted lamps on driftwood to reduce the amount of drillholes in the wall. Bonus: it allows me to move them around and rearrange without having to plaster or paint.
On major sticker shock.
Coming to Hong Kong was a shock to my wallet and my American need for space. The average size of an apartment here is about 500 square feet, about seven jail cells worth of space. My monthly rent for a 1400 sq foot duplex is the same as my sister’s mortgage for a 4873 sq. ft home outside of Washington D.C. Given that many bedrooms could only fit a double bed and nothing else, I often mistook bedrooms for closets.
On coming to terms with being an expat.
Before Hong Kong I never brought along any belongings, starting anew with each move. Looking back this lent itself to never really having that “home” feel. Having meaningful objects here has helped me feel more connected to my space.
On family heirlooms.
A few summers ago I was visiting my mother and decided to bring back a few family heirlooms. I brought an old piggy bank that had been my mother’s as a child and a favorite play object of mine. Now Emma stuffs it with her lai see (lucky money) from the Chinese New Year holiday. I also brought back a quilt that was handmade by my grandmother out of my mother and aunt’s childhood clothing. In the summer and spring, the quilt is on Emma’s bed; in the winter, I keep it folded and visible on top of her wardrobe. I love the idea of her sleeping under so much family history. It may seem silly, but I feel like it protects her and connects her to her family that she only gets to see once or twice a year.
EMMA’S ROOM
On art projects.
I was given the canvas when Emma was about a year old by a former colleague. I painted it white and then it sat in my closet for another year. One rainy day Emma and I sat on the kitchen floor to explore color. I cut out a bunch of brightly colored tissue paper and we mod-podged the shapes onto the canvas. The outcome was okay but basic. When we moved, I wanted an art piece for Emma’s room and decided to use what we had.
I wanted it to be a nod to Emma’s Asian roots. I incorporated joss paper since it is burned as an offering in traditional deity or ancestor worship in Hong Kong. From here I found online inspiration and soon Emma and I were mod-podging the joss over the existing colorful squares and rectangles.
PLAY ROOM
On fun ideas for kid art.
When Emma comes home with art, I take a photo and display it on a clothesline. As new ones come in, I swap out old work which gets reused as wrapping paper for friends’ presents. At the end of the year I make a photo art book.
DINING ROOM
On repurposing, recycling, reusing… and Facebook?
The large wooden circular chop block in our living room was found on the beach after a typhoon. The ladder was found in the rubbish — as were the accent chairs. And the metal locker sideboard I got off a Facebook sight for free.
Local people have a tradition of throwing out furniture around Chinese New Year. Transient expats throw out anything they aren’t shipping to their new home at the end of the school year. Thus, Hong Kong is the perfect place to reuse, repurpose and refresh thrown out wares.
E X P A T R A P I D F I R E Q U E S T I O N S :
Home is… an extension of self
Best advice for someone settling in… Don’t settle for something that does not feel right. Use your intuition and push through the stress and exhaustion; think of the long game. Make a list, mental or physical, about your non-negotiables.
Don’t stress about… Offending a real estate agent. It’s not polite to waste their time or yours by pretending to be interested. If you know it’s not going to work, say so.
The keys to your next home anywhere in the world would be… The hills of Tuscany
This place has taught you: the loveliness of a single purpose room. The rooms are too small for desks or televisions, thus they maintain a sanctuary-like atmosphere that I appreciate.
This series takes a peek into expat homes: their style, their thought process, and their foreign sanctuary. Because a home — albeit a temporary one — is nonetheless, a home, where stuff is collected, photos are hung, and memories are created. For more on the inspiration behind the series, click here.
If you’re an expat who’d like to share your digs or know of someone who’s place would be a fabulous fit, please connect with us or share our post.
