Michelle Yue (Photo: Ken Sharp)
Despite graduating from London’s Inchbald School of Design, Michelle Yue is not a professional designer. However, she has the ultimate taste and instinct for her own homes’ design. “Over the past 25 years, I have built or renovated more than 10 properties in Hong Kong, Canada and London,” says the vice chairwoman of trustees for Women for Women International. “I have lived in my current, Grade-II-listed South Kensington home since 2008. It was previously offices for a glassware company so it needed gutting.” My friend’s advice on collecting is: “I only buy things I love, not just to fit a space. Objects should have meaning and the most interesting homes have a collection that reveals different facets of the owner’s life.”
Photo: Mike Pickles for Tatler Hong Kong
The Huge Mountain (2011) by Lam Tung-pang and 54:10: Artist’s table (2011) by William Lim
The Lims have been fans of Hong Kong painter Lam Tung-pang for years. This piece,
The Huge Mountain, is one of the largest works in their donation to M+ it’s more than five metres long. “I’ve always liked how his work crosses between Chinese classical painting and contemporary art,” says William. “We bought this work from Hanart TZ Gallery, I think in 2012. One thing that really struck me was that there was a moon on the top of the mountain. I don’t know why, but I’ve always thought that moon was very beautiful.”
Exploring Boundaries
And yet, here is the unlikely sight of Jiaravanont standing before a desktop covered with vintage-inspired bags of his own design, including a bell-shaped shoulder bag, a fanlike tote, a tweed backpack and a streamlined duffle-shaped carryall. His favourite style, he points out, is a sculptural leather pouch attached to a ring handle that looks roughly like a boxer’s speed bag it’s named the Lucia, after the Dutch prize fighter Lucia Rijker.
“This is my creative outlet,” Jiaravanont says. “It’s almost like my side hobby. I used to joke that, hey, Bruce Wayne sits in a boardroom all day and at night he beats up criminals. I sit in a boardroom all day and at night I design handbags, which is a lot more glamorous, but a lot less heroic, let’s just say.”
“Chinese New Year is always about family. Our CNY traditions have vastly evolved over the years as we grew up. When we were young, our parents used to take us to their friends’ homes to bai leen [give our best wishes] and collect lai see. I remember learning about basic money management concepts and the importance of saving as a result of these customs. My mum opened bank accounts for us and would deposit our lai see money in there each year.
By the time we were about eight years old, we learned to play the famous card game Chor Dai Dee, or Big Two as it’s called in English. In our teenage years we used to go to an aunty’s home where she or my mother would take turns to be the banker and we’d try to win money. We would play all sorts of card games from Big Small, to Blackjack betting with our lai see money. Small bets, of course. I’m happy to report that, today, none of us have a gambling addiction.
My friends know I enjoy champagne, and lots of it. A friend recently told me: “When I see a photo of you on social media, you seem to always have a champagne glass in hand.”
Fizzing flutes just seem to gravitate towards me at restaurants or events, even when not requested. On many an occasion, a waiter has followed me throughout an entire event with a bottle of champagne. That’s service, but not to my waistline. Let me go one month without it and see how the pounds drop off. Green tea, anyone?
4/10
It s a match
Last year I did do one healthy thing: rekindle my passion for tennis. I was a competitive junior and a coach in my youth in Canada, but had not really set foot on a court for well over ten years. I enlisted a great coach, Stefan Yates, who has set me a goal to win a tournament this year. Although there is not much at stake at my age, I do hope to get a ranking in Hong Kong and reignite that competitive fire.