Having lived on three continents and travelled yet further while working in marketing for luxury hotels and resorts around the world, Abbey Hall is, in her own words, a global nomad. However, since moving to Hong Kong with her husband and youngest son three years ago, she has begun to make roots.
In that time, she has turned her back on the corporate world and begun to hone her own creative energies, completing courses at The Insight School of Design in Hong Kong and graduating from the Mercer School of Design in Australia. The spoils of these studies – combined with Abbey’s natural eye for aesthetics and attention to detail – greet you as soon as you exit the lift onto the landing outside her Mid-Levels abode, where a curated assemblage of curated coffee table tomes atop a console, and plenty of ottomans, greet you.
These ottomans, it transpires, are Abbey’s passion, and she has established her own interior design company, The Hallmark, Abbey Hall Interiors, to spread the good word. I love the versatility of an ottoman, she says. It’s the ultimate multi-tasker, working as a side table, coffee table, and, most importantly in Hong Kong, space-saving additional seating.
Her home is testament to their flexibility, where they gallantly perform supporting roles in every room, elevated through Abbey’s use of unexpectedly luxe fabrics, fringing and feathers sourced everywhere from Altfield Interiors to Sham Shui Po, as well as imported from overseas.
However, it’s not just the ottomans that astonish in the elegant dwelling. Most arresting, perhaps, are the double-height floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dramatic view of Hong Kong’s iconic cityscape and flooding the open-plan living-and-dining space with natural light. Then there is the enormous canvas, painted by Abbey’s sister, internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Sally Smart.
Our Home painting is incredibly special, she explains. It was created over 25 years ago as a body of work depicting a series of famous Australian artists’ living spaces. The scale of the painting is amazing, measuring over three metres by three metres, and it includes the letters in the word home. The scene is reminiscent of rural Australia, which is also where I grew up. I love it, and wherever we live, it’s our very own piece of home that comes with us.
Artworks by Abbey’s sister are displayed throughout the duplex apartment, including several smaller scale collages that use textile as their principal medium. Indeed, it would appear that both siblings have a way with fabrics – Abbey is also responsible for the cushions and headboards in her home.
Elsewhere, Abbey layers an eclectic mix of antique furniture, bespoke pieces and modern illuminations to create an interior that is as effortlessly stylish as it is confident and comfortable. I think my style is best described as modern classic, or classic with modern overtones, Abbey says. I love mixing it up. I love weaving into an interior a piece of furniture that tells a story; fabrics and rugs from far flung places, interesting art and artefacts from my travels. I think it’s these elements that inject flair, uniqueness and define a space.
Abbey has certainly done an impeccable job of defining her space, which constructs a beautiful narrative distinctive to her own family’s journey, something that she believes is important for every interior. When I’m designing for my clients, I strive to create a space which is indicative of their style and personality, she says. I think its these individual elements which make it a home. Looking around the stunning environment she has crafted for herself and her family, we couldn’t agree more.
For more inspiration, pick up a print or digital copy of our textiles-themed April issue, on newsstands now.
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