Carving out a comfortable home is difficult enough in itself, especially in space-constrained Hong Kong, so it should not be an additional burden to find beautiful inspiration in the form of a delightfully curated Instagram feed.
The following home decor-oriented Instagram accounts will save you a trip to showrooms during your next renovation, or even kickstart an obsession for meticulously arranging your work desk. Here are the top 9 Hong Kong-based accounts featuring individual flairs that you might want to adopt for yourself.
1. Tania Reinert, @nikakaitravels
The founder of lifestyle and travel journal Nika Kai is focused on creating child-friendly homes, with inspiration drawn from her adventures in travelling and parenting. Tania hails from an international background: she was born in Moscow, raised in Spain, and studied in London. Her adventurous lifestyle was adjusted to make room for the arrival of her children. This led to Tania leaving the frantic pace of Hong Kong Island where she was previously based, for the tranquility of South Lantau, creating the idyllic hashtag #lantauliving in the process.
2. Phoebe Soup, @phoebesoup
No Hong Kong home decor list will be complete without including the effortless workspace flatlays of Phoebe Soup. Her Instagram handle is derived from her actual surname, “湯” (pronounced “Tong”), which really means soup.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Phoebe Soup had a brief stint in Milan during her Hong Kong translation degree, before pursuing an advertising degree in London. She is now the art director and stylist of Lab VIII..
3. Anne Cui, @anneparavion
Anne Cui’s Instagram started as a visual feed to capture the memories of her travels, especially things she can’t take home – pretty doors are pretty hard to make off with!
Her love for travel is reflected in her handle, which comes from old-school Avion mailing labels. While undertaking her art history degree, she chanced upon an Islamic art and architecture class, which kindled a love for the intricate details of Middle Eastern art and resulted in a language immersion program in Beirut. She currently splits her time between Hong Kong and San Francisco.
4. Lex Mak, @mrgumbatron
Lex Mak’s Instagram is an ode to his personal motto to “Dress well. Drink well. Live well.” With an eye for style, details and composition, Lex hopes to inspire the modern man with his specialty coffee adventures, fashion cues, and dedication to self-improvement.
In addition to graduating from The University of Melbourne with an architecture degree and founding his own design practice, Lex applies his experience from 10 years in the hospitality industry as a mixologist, barista and event manager to create beautiful cafe interiors. He has worked with brands such as Cathay Pacific, Mr. Porter and Esquire.
5. Samantha Wong, @samishome
Samantha Wong first started her blog, Sam Is Home, in 2010, with a focus on food, fashion and lifestyle. Initially, it showcased her baking and her take on menswear clothing; it was only upon her friend’s suggestion in 2013 that she began to take prop styling seriously. Her stint at Parsons School of Design, along with her Fine Arts background, is clear in her colorful compositions, which are also influenced by the old masters’ philosophy in imbuing normalcy with brilliance.
Currently, she produces creative content for clients such as Dior, Cathay Pacific, and the Ritz-Carlton, and recently launched her new website, SIH studios.
6. James Acuna, @jj.acuna
Peripatetic architect and design opinion leader JJ Acuna is a man of many hats – along with running his design and travel blog theWanderlister+, his studio JJA / Bespoke Architecture with offices in Hong Kong and Manila, he also teaches part time at the Insight School of Interior Design.
A Cornell and Columbia University Architecture graduate, JJ has numerous projects across the Asian region under distinguished local architecture firms. His own studio has worked with familiar names such as Little Bao and Elephant Grounds, winning multiple awards in the process.
7. Wilson Lee, @lullerandkukoo
Wilson Lee bases his design concepts on connections between the self, the community and the city. His philosophy is that good design should convey a good story, as reflected in his recent projects for NOC coffee.
Having graduated from Hong Kong’s EDGE Design Institute, Wilson Lee founded his own firm Wall Studio in 2010 before co-founding Studio Adjective in 2016 with Emily Ho. His accolades include projects such as Stack (Design for Asia Award). He is also a design columnist at City Magazine and “Honbito本人” for MUJI Books.
8. Gloria Chung, @foodandtravelhk
While blogger and columnist Gloria Chung’s Instagram is a glorious celebration of food and interior design, she personally preaches self-confidence stemming from a healthy lifestyle.
Upon graduation, she was a personal assistant to the publisher of a luxury lifestyle magazine, before Gloria’s alleged stubbornness got her moved to the editorial team. Then, she worked at various food and travel sectors for a local publication. However, with such a food-centred lifestyle, Gloria has grappled with weight loss issues in the past, which explains her current focus on health. Now, she titillates her followers with her travels far and wide, introducing must-visit restaurants, cafes and hotels both in her home city of Hong Kong and across the world.
9. Moanna Shum, @moannaxdessire
With an Instagram handle that combines “dessert and desire,” it’s no surprise to see one or the other, or both, reflected in Moanna’s pictures. It is her knack for posting such sweet luxuries in life that has allowed the young public relations and marketing consultant to build a brand for herself with over 55 thousand followers.
She works with global luxury hospitality brands and leading restaurant groups, and has also collaborated with Cathay Pacific in the past.
For daily Instagram inspiration, follow us at @HomeJournal
