A penthouse apartment on Guia Hill that has both the convenience of being in the city and the open feeling of country-side.
The 2,000 sq foot apartment that is home to the Brockman family began life as two separate apartments on the top floor of Baguio Court, a 9 storey residential building perched high up on Estrada de Cacilhas that runs alongside the picturesque Guia Hill Municipal Park. This leafy green ‘lung’ is the highest point of Macau. Once a year the road becomes the Grand Prix track. To the back of the building windows look out to the very beautiful park and at the front is a commanding view of the reservoir and park adjacent to the Macau ferry terminal and beyond the outer harbor. 
Back in late 2006 the apartments were in a very sad state of repair and were bought by a small local property investment company to be combined, modernized and sold. American interior designer Heather Clarke was engaged to produce the design and manage the renovation. The end result was a remarkable transformation. And even before it was completed and put on the market, the Brockmans had been introduced to the project and decided that this would be a perfect new home. 
“We bought in 2007, and once it was finished, we moved in 2008” explains Julia Brockman, Partner at DSL Lawyers. For several years she and husband Henry, who works for SJM on its CoTai project pre-opening team, had been renting a house in Cheoc Van. “We loved our Coloane house, with the green hills behind us and the sea in front, but the rent kept increasing and we felt it was time to start looking for a home we could buy and not have a landlord breathing down their necks.”
The Brockmans enjoyed walking their two dogs on the family trails and beaches were virtually at their door step so this was something they were reluctant to give up. “But the market in Coloane was overpriced,” says Julia, “and there was really only Hellene Garden where the construction quality concerned us, and big villas which we couldn’t afford, so we started looking on Macau-side. To be honest, this building is old but the construction is much better than many of the newer properties”, and with the two parks and the spectacular views, Julia and Henry felt that Baguio Court offered them as good an imitation of their previous life style as any. “We enjoy our neighbours who are nearly all owner occupiers from old Macanese families both in our building and down the hill” in Ching Bik Court, Seaview Garden and the well known Hoi Fu Garden on Rotunda de S. João Bosco.
And the added bonus is the convenience of being a little more than five minutes’ drive away from their offices, a pleasant ten minute stroll around the reservoir to the ferry pier if traveling to Hong Kong, and an easy bus ride for their two boys William and Frederick, who at the time were still attending the Portuguese School.
On entering the apartment, one is struck initially by the sea views stretching into the horizon. The entrance hallway wall of pale blue was used by the designer to reflect a nautical theme which continues left into the large open kitchen in the blue-flecked stone bar and counter top. Julia has used this same blue palate in accents throughout the home; in the oriental carpets, throw cushions, sofa rug and in the artwork.
The ceiling to floor windows was the key attraction when the Brockmans were considering to buy. “On a clear day you can even see as far as Kai Tak airport and parts of
Lantau Island in Hong Kong” smiles Julia. “And when we open the front and back windows a lovely cool breeze off the hill flows through the apartment.” Coming in to the left of the view is the new bridge from Hong Kong, and towards the middle is the Friendship Bridge over to Taipa. In the foreground the blue-green of the reservoir.
In the living and dining areas, structural columns and beams remaining from the original two apartments make natural divisions in the space; the main living area with TV to the left, a central reading nook with prime sea viewing is ideal for cozy afternoon tea or cocktails before dinner, and then the dining room is next to the kitchen. Central air-conditioning has been installed together with recessed lighting in attractive ceiling coving.
The kitchen forms a convivial hub of social gatherings in the Brockman household. Guests sit on bar stools enjoying a glass of Champagne or a coffee and chat across the kitchen bar counter with Julia or Henry as they put the finishing touches to a meal. Tucked in behind the kitchen are a laundry and a little pantry. “We really appreciate the design of this whole space”, enthuses Julia, “and the openness of the kitchen enables Henry and me to cook together on weekends, which we enjoy. After a busy week we find it very therapeutic.”
A number of the smaller pieces of furniture came with them from Coloane. Long time treasures such as coffee tables, side tables and a folding chair, a copy of an Emperor’s picnic chair, which was bought many years ago from the shops that used to be at the base of the St. Paul’s steps. The brown sofa in the reading nook was saved too and recovered for the new home, and backing on to it is a beautiful antique cabinet from across the border in Dongwan.put the finishing touches to a meal. Tucked in behind the kitchen are a laundry and a little pantry. “We really appreciate the design of this whole space”, enthuses Julia, “and the openness of the kitchen enables Henry and me to cook together on weekends, which we enjoy. After a busy week we find it very therapeutic.”
This is a household of avid readers; there are small piles of books on coffee tables waiting to be read, and shelves ceiling high in the hallway to Frederick’s room lined with books stored double deep alongside an extensive collection of classical music CDs, “Around 600, but never enough!” exclaims Henry, half of which is choral music, and the rest ranging from opera to Baroque to Romantic. Music has always played an important part in the Brockman family; Henry and Julia met when singing in a choir. No less than five guitars are visible in the boys’ rooms and then there’s the Yamaha piano, “bought when the boys were very young, 5 and 3, when we wanted them to learn music.” It must have done the trick as now 19 and 17, both have gone on to study music at university in England.
Having read history at university, one of Henry’s passions is his collection of King & Country all-metal, hand painted toy soldiers and Armored Fighting Vehicles. These are on display in William’s room and consist of Napoleonic era figures; and WW2 Eighth Army, Afrika Korps and the Russian Front. 
The large handsome beige leather sofa comes from IKEA. Julia has been delighted with the quality of the leather – far more robust than an earlier and much more expensive sofa from a local store. “And ordering from IKEA is just so easy!”
Two original paintings, one over the dining table and the other to the right of the TV, come from family holidays in Ubud, Bali. At the entrance hangs an abstract from local Norwegian artist Catherine Bjerke. And next to the piano are three sketches by famous English painter resident in Macau in the mid 1800’s, George Chinnery.
Several delicate pieces of European sterling silver ornaments, little dishes and a cruet set hint at the Brockman family’s heritage. Englishman Henry has a German mother and Julia’s parents are both German, living most of their lives in Portugal where Julia was raised. Fluent in English, Portuguese and German, it is the latter that tends to be the language spoken at home.
Whilst William and Frederick’s bedrooms face the park at the back of the building the master bedroom suite faces the sea view. Here the wood floor is pale honey colour in contrast to the dark wood featured in the living area.
Two elegant Rosewood arm chairs “given to us by an old Chinese family friend in Hong Kong” frame the large picture window. The bed from Sealy in Hong Kong has storage underneath, a “gorgeous mattress” and a brown suede headboard. Chinese-style bed side tables and a tall narrow chest of drawers are made of elm wood with beautiful wood grain and colouring that complements the flooring.
Two much-prized 19th Century Chinese export paintings, authenticated by and bought from the Shanghai Museum in 1997, depict imperial messengers bringing the results of the Mandarin exams.
From the bedroom one walks through a dressing area of wardrobes an attractive striped wood veneer, a dressing table and through to a spacious master bathroom. His and Her basins, made of hand beaten stainless steel from Thailand, sit on an elegant polished marble counter top with built in cabinets below. From the window one sees the multi-greens of the hillside and park.
The apartment benefits from a wonderful outdoor terrace, decorated in wood flooring, and a bamboo wall covering for shade and privacy. 
This is a well used part of the home for family barbecues and summer evening parties. It’s also been invaluable for the dogs, Rocco a friendly local mutt and gentle giant Max, a Saint Bernard found dumped in Macau by unscrupulous breeders from across the border and rescued through Anima. Housekeeper Rowena, very much part of the family having been with the Brockmans for almost 20 years, helps keep not only the home but the dogs, in tip top condition.
All photographs are by Antonio Mil-Homens, taken for the April 2015 Home Affairs section of the Macau Closer Magazine.
