Treasures from our Travels

A lovingly designed family home in Taipa that combines the best of East and West – a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of treasures.

Even before you enter the home of Jessica Leao and Carlos Simoes, as you approach the elegant over-sized white front door you already know that you’re going to be visiting a very special home.  And once inside, Ambiente’s Managing Director Suzanne Watkinson writes, one is transported to a world of gentle, understated elegance firmly rooted within relaxed family comforts.  Photos by Carmo Correia.

And once inside, one is transported to a world of gentle, understated elegance firmly rooted within relaxed family comforts.

In 2000, the Simoes family was one of the first residents of Jade Gardens, a low-rise apartment block set in the leafy foothills of Estrada Lou Lim Ieok.  Fast forward 12 years and after extensive renovation this 4-bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment has become the quintessential family home to lawyer and Managing Partner of DSL Lawyers Carlos, Jessica and their three children, Gui, 15; Martha, 14; Francisco, 10.  

From the moment you arrive your senses tingle with anticipation.  An Aladdin’s cave of treasures collected from holiday travels all over the world is brought together in a manner that creates balance and harmony within this home.

In the corner of the hallway stands a beautiful mirrored cabinet that reflects light inwards towards an ante-chamber. Behind a white sofa a feature wall is papered with Norwich Metallic Silver, a silvery-grey paisley that acknowledges a southern Indian Portuguese-Goanese heritage from Jessica’s side of the family. A ladder, mirrored like the cabinet, leans against the wall, and adds to the clever play on light reflection.  Opposite, framed by two dark wood carved Sri Lankan columns sit a pair of chairs designed by Jessica, and white shelves filled with books and family photos.

A wide expanse of solid teak wood floor stretches ahead into the dining and living areas – soft-golden, emanating warmth and light – covered with deliciously vibrant antique rugs from Xinhiang, purchased on visits to Beijing.

To the right, from the dining area more light and sun streams in.  Once part of a balcony, and now a huge picture window, the myriad greens and earth tones of the hillside are so close as to seem almost a private garden.  Water cascading from deep within the hill provides the charming sounds of a natural fountain.

Yet more light is brought into the living space from the sliding doors and front balcony.  Here at the foot of two yellow carved wooden columns sits a herb garden of rosemary, lemongrass, basil and parsley.  The columns, like those at the front entrance, came from Sri Lanka.  In the colonial days houses were built with surrounding verandahs supported by a series of artistically carved columns. As Carlos explains, “many of these houses have been destroyed to make way for high rise blocks, but their porch supports were salvaged and are now sold in the antique markets”.

The balcony walls and floor have been covered in concrete – a clever way of inexpensively disguising generally ugly external building tiles.  Outdoor teak wood slat-back chairs with white seat cushions and green striped throw cushions complete the rustic outdoor feel.

Clearly an arbiter of style and good taste Jessica’s background and experience in interior design become apparent in subtle understated ways.  The mirror theme from the front entrance for example is pulled into the living area, where two custom-designed dark brown Chinese armoires have circular mirrored lock plates in place of the traditional brass.

Throw cushions of red, pink and orange stripe on the two white sofas pick out and highlight some of the colours from the rugs underfoot.

In collectibles the Simoes house presents a modern blend of Eastern and Western cultures where wood statues of Catholic Saints sit happily side by side with stone Buddha heads.  Jessica points out several ornately carved wood ‘boxes’ that come from Goa, previously a Portuguese colony where Catholicism is still prevalent today.  In the private chapels in old Goan homes or even a small corner of the dining room, a place of prayer is observed and images of saints are displayed, protected behind the small wood doors of their ‘houses’.

From the living area the visitor is led down a short corridor to the sleeping quarters.  First a guest bathroom in cream tile and papered feature wall in Nina Campbell duck-egg blue with birds and gold bird cage design. The blue flows into the next door room which has been converted into a magnificent study with wall to ceiling custom designed bookcases, featuring interesting leather strap handles, a clever idea Jessica saw in a magazine.

Then into the master suite, dominated in the centre by a white bed with a huge custom-made bed head and white curtains suspended from the ceiling to form a floating canopy. One wall is full of artwork including some charcoal nudes by Ung Vai Meng, at one time Director of the Macau Museum.  A stunning blue painting by Fernanda Dias who used to be a teacher in Macau is a favourite with Carlos and Jessica and sits waiting to be found the right wall space.

The dressing area and ensuite bathroom is where design expertise and practicality truly meet. An entire wall of hanging wardrobe and folding space all in white is left open but for black Roman blinds in plastic mesh fabric that are pulled down to hide its content – “this open concept is a good way of keeping clothes aired and combating humidity”, Jessica explains.

The ensuite bathroom with an all-glass wall fronting on to the dressing area to optimize light was inspired by Shand Fernado, a Sri Lankan restaurant and shop owner (Paradise Road, Colombo) with exciting and adventurous taste in interior design.  Carlos and Jessica met him when on holiday there and brought back many innovative ideas that they put into practice in the design of their home.

Tucked into the end of the corridor are three shelves displaying more of the family’s collection of Saints – delicate little statues and crosses from Hanoi, Manila, Bombay and from Goa.  About 12 large glass jars uniquely capture holiday memories … beach sand.  Grey from Bali, black from the Azores, various shades of sandy yellows from Australia, China, Sri-Lanka and Burma.  Some unusual looking wooden ‘eggs’ are felt hat moulds from Manila.

The two children’s rooms and their bathroom complete this section of the home.  The cooling, restful duck egg blue colour scheme flows through into Martha’s room with a painted pale blue wall and a wall papered in charming Nostell Priory from Zoffany.  The single white IKEA bed pulls out into a double for guests.

The boys have sturdy, custom-designed bunk beds that have been built into the wall and here the colour scheme makes way for a more lively brighter blue.  A French grocery cabinet, another of Jessica’s custom-designed pieces she saw in a magazine, serves as their book case.

And finally we turn back into the living area and towards the heart of many homes, the kitchen.  A clever design idea that separates the dining area from the kitchen is a double-sided cabinet.  Filled with crockery and table linen it is accessible from both the kitchen and from the dining room.

A large square space, the kitchen has been skillfully laid out for maximum practicality, minimal clutter.  Walls are lined with ceiling-to-floor white storage cupboards hiding all the cooking and eating paraphernalia of a busy household.  The SMEG wine cooler, Samsung double-door fridge freezer, Germania cooker and Expresso machine are all snugly built in creating a clean and tidy look. Several old wine jars and mustard pots provide an artistic touch. Whilst lunch is always eaten at the dining room table, breakfast and supper in the Simoes family tend to be enjoyed in the more informal setting around the kitchen table that looks out on to the adjacent hillside.

Off the kitchen is a spacious laundry and housekeeper’s room with again the white ceiling-to-floor cupboards, home to the family’s linen.

When the visitor leaves and heads back out into the hustle and bustle of Taipa, it is with a sense of gratitude to have been welcomed into this tranquil corner of Macau.