By Wansien Lee
Lilian Au is never in one place for too long. Born in Taipei, China, the General Manager for the China division of high-end decor and home furnishings brand Indigo Living spent the majority of her formative years flitting between Taiwan and Hong Kong. She’s also enjoyed short stints in Canada and South Africa, before officially settling in Shanghai back in 2014. Even now, half of her time is dedicated to the two Chinese cities of Beijing and Hong Kong.
With so much time spent away from home, one would expect Lilian’s apartment to be bare bones. It’s not. It’s obvious a lot of thought has been given into creating a tasteful space that feels not only cozy, but unmissably lived in.
“It’s important that your home feels comfortable and is somewhere you’d want to relax in.”
It was a stroke of luck that led Au to her current home. She had been apartment hunting for close to a month, and almost gave this place a pass. “It was a lot bigger than what I was looking for,” she says of her former house-hunting self. Thankfully she didn’t, because it was love at first sight. She signed a contract that very day.
“It also helped that rent was priced way under market value,”
Lilian confided, a sentiment anyone in Shanghai can relate to.
It didn’t come without its own set of problems though. She’s had issues with mold and termites, as well as with the drainage and sewage systems. “Luckily, I work in the home and furnishing business. I’ve made many valuable contacts over the past few years who have been a great help in sorting all these out.”
When decorating, Au doesn’t stick to a rigid theme.
“Your home should be a reflection of who you are. I’m a very bubbly person, so I fill my space with colors and happy elements.”
There’s a mint green wardrobe and a beautiful fuschia arm chair in her bedroom. Vases of flowers peek out from corners and wooden cross-beams break up the kitchen ceiling. There are multiple feature walls, each painted a different shade – a rich dark purple highlights the nook by her bedroom, while an apple green gallery wall paves the way to her walk-in closet. The entrance to her guest room is a happy mustard yellow, bringing the energy that Au carries into each sectioned space literally onto her walls.
It sounds like a lot, but Lilian makes it work. She’s careful to only pull colors from the painting that takes center stage in her living area, so that it all ties together in a cohesive way. The rest of her space is balanced out with earth and cream tones, a pairing that brings out the best of the outdoors, in-home.
Steal the style with these fresh options for your home.
1. Antique Lantern, ¥1,590, indigo-living.cn
2. Bottle, ¥929, casapagoda.com
3. Antique Glass Ceiling Lamp, ¥7990, indigo-living.cn
4. STOCKHOLM TV Bench, ¥2,999, ikea.com
5. Club Chair, ¥7,500, casapagoda.com
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