Bringing Hong Kong home to Yorkshire created this home with spectacular oriental interiors

The builder also agreed to make a few changes to suit them but it still didn’t feel like home to Michelle who, while still adjusting back to life in Britain was struggling to marry her collection of Chinese furniture and accessories with her new English house. “I didn’t know where to start and was overwhelmed,” she says.

Help was needed and it came in the form of interior designer Joan Maclean, aka Joanie Mac Interior Design, who came highly recommended.

Not only has she used Michelle’s collection to great effect, she has had a wonderful time doing it.

“Michelle has great taste and what she had already done to the house was good but she needed help with the rest and with curating what she had,” says Joan.

The handmade kitchen by Thirsk based Watkinsons Cabinet Makers was already in situ, as was the island, which is topped with Calacatta marble from Aktiv Granite in Follifoot.

Joan sourced the china Fin lights above from BTC while Michelle came up with the idea of installing a rustic beam above the Rangemaster stove and placed one of her favourite pictures, a painting by Singapore based artist Louise Hill, above it.

In a corner of the dining area decorative bird cages. “Most people live in flats in Hong Kong so birds are a popular pets. Their owners take them out for a walk in their cages,” says Michelle.

Rather than being shut off, the utility is a gorgeous small space on show and is part of the open plan living area on one side of the house.

It now features vintage Hong Kong mail boxes, Chinese flasks plus an illuminated taxi sign from the island, along with other fabulous finds.

Michelle had spent decades collecting treasures, making regular trips from Hong Kong to China.

“Back then, the Chinese people weren’t interested in antiques and considered them worthless so they were very inexpensive. I found some wonderful things rummaging in junk shops and I’d often come back on the ferry fully laden,” says Michelle, who gave away a third of them so she could squeeze the rest into her UK bound container.

With plenty to choose from Joan set about fusing a traditional English house with oriental accessories, a match made in heaven thanks to very careful curating and an abundance of choice,

“Joan would say we need something in this colour and this shape and I’d say great, I’ve got four of them to choose from,” says Michelle.

Foo dogs traditionally protect a house so they sit by the patio doors and dragons too are on display as they defend and bring luck.

The hall is sensational thanks to a set of Balinese masks mounted on panels while below is a collection of ginger jars. In the open plan sitting area, the walls are in Fired Earth’s Little Owl and the stand out item is the cabinet painted with masks.

The Barker and Stonehouse sofas and the Orla Kiely footstool reflect the colours in it, while the Chinese lotus lamps give a soft glow. The blinds are in Linwood’s Mountain Retreat design and the gas fire is from Feature Fireplaces in Harrogate.

A second sitting room is painted in Fired Earth’s Tempest and has Indian carpets and a red wedding cabinet and Joanie also wall mounted antique wood screens and backed them with mirrors to create even more interest.

Under the window is an antique Kung Fu bench. As many Chinese people could not afford expensive weapons, they improvised so the heavy bench was a go-to for bashing enemies, along with being a place to sit.

Upstairs, the main bedroom suite is a dream. Extra large it comes with a hidden ensuite behind what appear to be wardrobe doors.

The decorative bed head is from Atkin and Thyme and plush, velvet soft carpet is from KD Carpets in Harrogate and the light shade is from Maison du Monde, though the showstopper is the Chinese chest.

Joan says: “It was an absolute pleasure working on this home. There were so many wonderful things to choose from and they all had a story.”

Michelle too is delighted and adds: “When I first moved to Hong Kong I imported oak furniture and an old pew because I wanted it to be Britain. I didn’t bring any of that back with me though. I brought my oriental pieces and they make me smile because they bring back so many happy memories of Hong Kong.”

*Joanie Mac is a Yorkshire-based interior designer who also runs online courses and workshops. www.joaniemac.com