We meet interior designer PAM HINTON at her South Bay apartment. Pam lives with her husband, two daughters and two cats, and they love the area and their views of Hong Kong Island’s stunning southern coastline including Repulse Bay.
Tell us about your expat journey to now.
I’m originally from South Africa but have also grown up in New Zealand and Australia, and I spent some time in the UK before studying interior design in Brisbane. My husband and I moved to Singapore shortly after getting married in Australia, but fate had other plans and swiftly shuffled us on to Hong Kong in early 2013.
What do you do in Hong Kong?
I run an architecture and interior design studio, headquartered in Hong Kong, and I also have a bespoke, sustainable gifting business.
Did you live in other areas before moving to South Bay Road?
We started off in Mid-Levels before moving to Tsat Tsz Mui before we had our first child. We moved back to MacDonnell Road for a few years before relocating to their South Bay apartment around two and a half years ago.
What do you like about South Bay as a location?
It has that rare combination of seaside convenience and seclusion. We can walk to the beach, shops and restaurants and be in Central in 20 minutes, but because South Bay Road is a dead-end, it’s quiet, with very little traffic and noise.
The views over Middle Bay and Repulse Bay are amazing and one of our favourite things to do is sit on our balcony and watch the sunset. And it doesn’t hurt that South Bay is supposed to have excellent Feng Shui!
What are some of the key features or highlights of your home?
The building is quite a conventional 1980s development, but it was constructed during a period of rapid luxury development in Repulse Bay, which transformed the area from its colonial-era roots into one of Hong Kong’s prestigious neighbourhoods.
As it’s an older building, the layout is pretty efficient – it’s single level with a large open-plan living and dining area. This means the kitchen and laundry areas are small, but apart from that, most of the rooms are big, with lots of natural light.
You’re an interior designer by trade; what design touches have you brought to the home?
The shell provided a good base, with simple light fixtures and clean, white walls. Moving here gave me a chance to switch up our previous “inner city” aesthetic, to one that is more laid back and beachy. The décor is mostly light and neutral with accents of green and blue. With kids and animals in the house, I’m in a constant state of replenishment, and the décor will continue to evolve as we mix up and purchase new items. It’s not perfectly curated, but I enjoy seeing our home grow with layered stories of our various adventures.
Do you have a particular interior design style?
I wouldn’t say I have a particular design style, but my projects aim to be sophisticated, polished and always client- and site-specific. My style, if I had to label it, would be a blend of modern with traditional that balances exuberance with restraint. I love tactile materials and layering of forms and textures.
Is there a spot in the home that you enjoy the most?
My favourite spot, which I think is shared by all humans and animals in the family, is a day bed that’s placed next to the full-height windows facing Middle Bay. It’s a perfect location to read a book or take a nap while looking out across our little valley.
Tell us about a couple of items in the home that have an interesting story behind them.
We have accumulated and inherited a number of interesting pieces over the years. For example, we have some very old Shakespeare novels, books, artwork, glassware and vases from the 1930s that belonged to my husband’s French-Belgian grandmother. We also try to bring home at least one interesting item whenever we travel, so we have a collection of various pieces of art and décor from around the world that each tell a story.
My mother and mother-in-law are both talented quilters, so we have a few quilts that were made for my daughters, and one that was given to me for my 21st birthday. I’m a big advocate of integrating sentimentality into design. One object can transform a room from “anyone’s” into “mine” in a simple but highly impactful way.
What are a few things you like to do in Hong Kong when you’re not working?
We typically spend a lot of time at various southside beaches, from Stanley to Deep Water Bay, but now that the weather has cooled down, I’m back into hiking; there are so many great routes in the area.
We take the kids camping over winter and try to catch exhibits at M+ and Hong Kong Ballet’s performances throughout the year. Getting out into nature often is important to our family, so I’m also keen to go strawberry picking with the kids soon and get out to some of HK’s great fruit and animal farms.
I’ve also been a somewhat active investor and options trader for the last 20 years, so a lot of my time outside of work is focused on that.
Tell us about a couple of items in the home that have an interesting story behind them.
We have accumulated and inherited a number of interesting pieces over the years. For example, we have some very old Shakespeare novels, books, artwork, glassware and vases from the 1930s that belonged to my husband’s French-Belgian grandmother. We also try to bring home at least one interesting item whenever we travel, so we have a collection of various pieces of art and décor from around the world that each tell a story.
My mother and mother-in-law are both talented quilters, so we have a few quilts that were made for my daughters, and one that was given to me for my 21st birthday. I’m a big advocate of integrating sentimentality into design. One object can transform a room from “anyone’s” into “mine” in a simple but highly impactful way.
What are a few things you like to do in Hong Kong when you’re not working?
We typically spend a lot of time at various southside beaches, from Stanley to Deep Water Bay, but now that the weather has cooled down, I’m back into hiking; there are so many great routes in the area.
We take the kids camping over winter and try to catch exhibits at M+ and Hong Kong Ballet’s performances throughout the year. Getting out into nature often is important to our family, so I’m also keen to go strawberry picking with the kids soon and get out to some of HK’s great fruit and animal farms.
I’ve also been a somewhat active investor and options trader for the last 20 years, so a lot of my time outside of work is focused on that.
Pam’s Recommendations
Neighbourhood Coffee (“a great hole-inthe-wall café with excellent coffee”)
IG @nbhd_coffee
CoCoNuts (“a relaxed Thai restaurant on the beach at Deep Water Bay”)
IG @coconutsthaihk
Bamboo Bar (“great cocktails overlooking Repulse Bay”)
therepulsebay.com/en/dining/bamboo-bar
Ming Kee Restaurant (“fantastic seafood restaurant on the beach at Po Toi”)
2849 7038
L’s Where (“home décor and fashion boutique with a focus on unique, antique pieces”)
IG @lswhere_home
Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 (“excellent dim sum in a relaxed but sophisticated setting”)
1983hkc.com
Hiking on Mount Johnston (“a short but challenging hike from Ap Lei Chau to Ap Lei Pai, which offers 360-degree views of Hong Kong’s southside, from Lamma up to The Peak”)
This article first appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
