A four bedroom home for a family of nine – now that takes some careful planning and clever design. Ambiente’s Managing Director Suzanne Watkinson goes to meet the Lay family and reports back on their lovely home. Antonio Mil-Homens takes the photos.
Walking through the ornate wrought iron entry gates to Pearl on the Lough on a beautiful sunny morning, a blue sky and a fresh breeze, one is immediately struck with the pleasant surroundings – a well cared for garden, the tinkle from a small stone fountain, the faint sound of lapping waves and two handsome, relatively new apartment blocks that sit alongside the coastline of north Taipa by the Friendship Bridge. One could be forgiven for mistaking this as a residential neighbourhood of a European city.
Canadian Brian Lay and his Australian wife Bev have called Macau their home for almost 7 years. Brian is Managing Director of building construction management and contracting firm Icon Projects and Bev is an artist and full time mum to seven beautiful children, Ethan, Anastasia, Olivia, Genevieve, Gabriel, Solomon and Victoria.
When Brian first found the 11th floor duplex apartment back in 2007, it was in its original standard base building finish. Bev and the family were still in Australia at the time so he set about preparing things for their arrival. Cheap white paint had been used throughout and he was alarmed by the mould that appeared on the surface especially near and above the windows. He decided to clean all walls and ceilings with bleach and then invested in a good quality Dulux mould-resistant paint – “40% more expensive but we’ve never seen mould since” he says.
The floors throughout were perfectly respectable and in good condition – muted coloured large ceramic marble-look-alike tile on the ground floor and gloss-sealed, solid wood Cyprus flooring, hard wearing and with an attractive grain, up the stairs and through all the bedrooms – so these were left alone.
On the furnishing, “the whole point of it was to be modular for maximum flexibility as the family grew” Brian explains. Every square inch is thoughtfully used. It was a team effort with both contributing towards the design; he having good spatial awareness and Bev focusing on the details and practicalities. In the living room, the massive leather sofa is in equal-sized 1 meter x 1 meter sections that can be moved around to make up separate armchairs, or additional sections to stretch legs out on. Side tables and headrests too can be moved from section to section.
A pile of matchi
ng white leather floor mats sits neatly in the corner ready for one of the family’s movie nights; the projector sits on top of a shelf room divider, a huge ceiling mounted screen descends electrically at the press of a button. The mats are laid out for the younger children to lie on whilst the adults and bigger children can lounge on the higher sections.
The custom built, long rectangular dining table with white leather high backed arm-chairs brings the dining and living area themes together.
Once Brian had the concept and sketches ready he had an architect friend in Hong Kong produce the set of drawings. “They suggested some design elements – such as the wave pattern in the TV wall unit that is replicated upstairs in the master bedroom wardrobe doors”; all the more appropriate given the sensational sea views that the apartment commands.
“Where at all possible we tried to avoid touching the core of the apartment with built-ins. Nearly all the furniture is free standing so that if we move, it can come with us and we don’t have to waste the money ripping out and making good the walls. Case in point, the 6 piece TV consol with doors and draws that open for storage behind. No part of this is attached to the walls.
There’s lots of white to enhance the sense of spaciousness and light. The white leather comes from very good quality cow hides that the Lays personally selected in Australia and had shipped to the furniture manufacturers in Tangxia, Guangdong, China. 
The predominantly white walls make way for a beautiful orange, ‘Egyptian Sun’, feature wall in the dining area and then flowing up the stairs. The striking colour is reflected in the TV consul unit’s alcoves and niches in the living area.
Being in the construction business in a casino town has its benefits when it comes to having access to furniture samples no longer needed. Operators are constantly trying our new designs, new fabrics and furnishings and if they don’t work out the items tend to be unceremoniously dumped. As Brian was working on the apartment, the City of Dreams mock up rooms filling a warehouse in Pak On was being disposed of. Brian paid for the entire warehouse contents, arranged staffing, clearing, cleaning – and disposal – keeping items that he would find useful in his new home. Beds, mattresses, a number of big modern funky-looking table lamp bases, some eye catching abstract artwork with beautiful quality frames, all these came in very handy. The artwork in particular has become much treasured by the family.
The apartment layout upstairs includes a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom with separate bath and shower – this for Brian and Bev and the youngest of their brood. Two further bedrooms with a communal bathroom sleep two children in one, and three in another. Downstairs there is a good sized fourth bedroom for 16 year old Ethan.
One of the advantages of the apartment is 
that most rooms have deep window seating that helps optimize space and makes for inviting nooks. Filled with cozy cushions, these are ideal for the children to curl up on with a book or simply to enjoy the stunning views when they need some quiet, alone-time.
Colour schemes in the children’s’ bedrooms are sunny yellows and oranges tempered with white. A striking mustard lime feature wall and side cabinet, floor to ceiling light wood hanging cabinets and dressing table are used in the master. This is attractively off-set with a large white leather headboard for the bed, white linen, a large woolen, chocolate bed-throw, chocolate and caramel-coloured throw cushions, over-sized, black ceramic based bedside lamps with large chocolate shades. A fun round floor carpet, another COD discarded sample, in white, caramel and chocolate concentric circles finishes off this contemporary look mixed with homely comforts.
“Space is a premium for us” explains Bev, “and so we’ve created storage under the beds, and custom built floor to ceiling wardrobes.” In the master bedroom wood veneer tables on wheels tuck neatly under the bed and are pulled out as useful side tables when needed. “Yes”, agrees Brian, with such a large family, “every so often we need a cull of our possessions to keep things to the essentials”. Orderliness is crucial, as demonstrated in a downstairs store room, where each family member’s suitcases are neat
ly stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling. The children’s folded towels and swimwear are tidily hanging on individual hooks.
There is clearly an artistic vein running through the family. Several of the children display their artwork on the walls in their bedrooms. For Bev, her studio area is tucked into a corner of the living area. A graduate of the Institute of Technology in Sydney, her fashion design major was inspired by the incredibly intricate, detailed 17 & 18th century embroidered lace from her grandmother and Greek heritage. “The beauty is that you see something different every time you look at it” explains Bev. Her very finely detailed black ink work has evolved more recently into larger floral abstracts that introduce vibrant colours of hot pinks, purples, blues, yellows inspired by the vividly decorated hand-made Ikaros pottery from Rhodes, Greece. A large picture book of stunning still life flowers by Eduard Koinberg, ‘Floral Romance’ (Taschen) adds further inspiration.
“Painting calms me to my soul” smiles Bev; “when I paint, my feelings are very much reflected in what comes out on the paper”. One tends to feel that this gentle calm mixed with brightly coloured energy and optimism is a good analogy for the sense within this home. Firm discipline and control, essential for any large household, is underpinned with a great deal of love, which enchants, draws one in, and makes one feel privileged to have had a glimpsed life within this lovely family.
