Timothy Stuart has a problem – he just can’t stop collecting things. When we arrive at his converted-warehouse apartment on Hollywood Road, where he lives with wife Asya Egunova-Stuart, son Oscar and dog Monkey, we can’t examine a single shelf or table without stumbling across some mysterious curio. My friends tease me all the time; it drives me nuts,” he says with a chuckle. But I see beautiful objects and I have this compulsion – I have to have them, somehow. Being surrounded by pretty things gives me inspiration for what I do.”

When Timothy designs for work, his biggest concern is functionality – and this mindset spills over into collecting and home decor. To him, the best objects are practical as well as beautiful, such as the quintessential Chinese wooden stool. I have 65 in my collection,” he says. You can use them as tables or as footstools. Now my son is learning to walk, and he’ll come over and lean on them.” Timothy prefers to display the objects he collects rather than keep them in storage – that way they can be used and appreciated. He has a predilection for antiques, perhaps due to his background in archaeology, which took him on digs in Central and South America.

The apartment was not always bedecked with unique decor; when Timothy and Asya first discovered the place, it was nothing but a concrete shell. They added a bathroom, a kitchen and new lighting fixtures, but not many walls – most of the rooms are open-plan or divided by screens. The floor was levelled and reskinned, while crimson-hued cabinetry was installed by furniture manufacturer Mutual Benefit, which is run by members of Timothy’s family who also live in Hong Kong. Rather than focusing on a specific design plan, the home’s aesthetic has developed organically over the years. Really, in my world, everything is a blank palette,” says Timothy. You can do anything to it.”

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