For JOHAN VERBRUGGEN, a large part of the appeal of living in a Tai Wo village house in Hong Kong is embracing its character and its quirks. Here we take a step into his home and ask about life in the Tai Po district.
Where are you from originally? What brought you to Hong Kong and when?
I’m originally from Belgium – I grew up in a very traditional family of textile manufacturers. My grandparents had a lace-making business and as a child I was surrounded by wonderful textiles, beads and trimmings.
When I was 20, I moved to London and eventually became the Buyer of Fabrics and Crafts of the world-renowned textile department at Liberty. Having worked for Liberty and Harrods for ten years, I started as a Product Developer for the gift shops at Buckingham Palace in 2003. I’ve been lucky enough to work in some inspiring surroundings, from the beautifully crafted Tudor Building at Liberty, to the over the-top luxurious Harrods and the opulent Buckingham Palace. All this led me to set up my own company, The Flanders Tapestry Collection, in 2014, where I create colourful craft kits that suit all interiors (flanderstapestrycollection.com).
Settling down in Hong Kong has always been on my bucket list. I fell in love with the city in 1999 and, prior to moving here, visited at least once a year.
What do you do in HK?
My husband Patrick and I are both teachers. Apart from running my own business I also teach needlepoint at some international schools in Hong Kong as an after-school activity. This is by far the most rewarding project I have ever undertaken. Passing on my knowledge and watching these kids create their own little masterpieces gives me immense pleasure. It enhances their creativity and is so important for their development. They learn to concentrate and it rapidly advances their dexterity. And, most importantly, it takes them away from their phone!
Did you live in other parts of Hong Kong before moving to the Tai Po district?
Patrick and I have always lived in a Tai Wo village in Hong Kong. Patrick’s father grew up here before moving to the UK and he built the village house in 1981. Until we moved here in 2017, the house had mainly been used as a holiday home. When we settled here, we had our work cut out, turning it into a proper full-time home.
A village house is a wonderful place to live. However, it offers some challenges due to the humidity and heat in Hong Kong. There are features in the décor that we, as Westerners, are unaccustomed to. The majority of the house is tiled due to the high humidity, something that is quite alien to us.
Tell us a bit about your Tai Wo village house.
Rather than fighting the original features of the house, we embraced them. Take away these original designs that are an essential part of the fabric of the house, and you end up with a soulless, run-of-the-mill home. The trick is not to make rushed decisions, but to live in the house for a while and respect its character. We are lucky to have spacious rooms and sensational views.
Give us a sense of this village in Hong Kong – what’s in your immediate vicinity?
Our home is surrounded by fields and mountains. We live in a typical small village in Hong Kong. The way of life is quite different from the way we lived in Europe – we have a lot of extended family nearby and people tend to walk in and out as they please. There is a great sense of community, something that is rare in Europe.
The view from our bedroom is awesome and the surrounding green mountains are a welcome respite when we return from the city. It’s wonderful to go to Central but lovely to come back to the green and tranquil surroundings of our home.
What are some of the key features or highlights of your home? Does it follow a particular design theme?
All the original characteristics of the house have been kept in place and restored. The result is a unique blend of East meets West. We brought some of our furniture with us from Europe. It has introduced an extra dimension to the house. Textiles are very important to me. The cushions I have created for The Flanders Tapestry Collection take centre stage and they add a colourful and homely feel.
Is there a spot in the home that you enjoy the most?
In early spring mornings while the air is cool, we open our front doors and enjoy the view of Tai Mo Shan through the lychee tree in front of our house. This accompanied by the wafting scent of incense and bird song is a beautiful way to enjoy breakfast in the New Territories.
Could you tell us about a couple of items that have an interesting background or story behind them?
We have several heirloom pieces that Patrick inherited from his grandparents including a 100-year-old wedding chest that was full of treasures. Patrick is also a collector of traditional earthenware pots. These are dotted around the house; some of them he remembers being used to make pickled vegetables.
Our interior style has often been described as quirky, which we love. The juxtaposition of traditional everyday items that are simplistic yet perfectly functional alongside 21st-century appliances tones down the starkness that is often all too obvious in modern design.
We’ll lay the table with a vintage tablecloth – our favourite being a green and white bedsheet from the 1950s – and serve reimagined dishes that blend the East and West, like deep-fried crispy tofu served with a classic Italian tomato sauce.
Do you have some future plans for your home?
We would love to use our roof terrace more. We have uninterrupted views across the valley towards the west making it the perfect spot for sundowners.
What are a few things you like to do in Hong Kong when you’re not working?
I adore living in the New Territories and fully embrace the simpler, sometimes scruffier side of Hong Kong. We have some wonderful wet markets, which at first were intimidating. However, after all these years the traders know me well and I often get offered the choicest vegetables from the mounds of fresh greens and vibrant fruit – with a little bit extra thrown in. So, instead of being a chore, shopping for fresh food has become something I love to do. A guilty pleasure is to sometimes arrange the produce in baskets and use them instead of flowers. It makes a wonderful inspiration for my work: the greenness of choy sum in a white vase.
Johan’s tips for exploring the Tai Po district
Tai Po is a working town, and its cultural history lives on today. Tai Po Market is full of interesting stalls and shops selling traditional products. The fourth floor of the wet market has a great food centre – value for money with a buzzing atmosphere and stomach-stimulating cooking smells!
After a quick lunch there, cross the road for a bowl of fresh warm tofu custard, eaten whilst standing, and loaded with yellow sugar and ginger syrup. Fu Shing Street Market is also full of eye-averting, nose-wrinkling sights and smells. As a fresh delivery of sweet potatoes tumble from their box, do battle with the local ladies to get the best ones. Be brave enough to buy the freshest pork from a cleaver-wielding butcher who’ll slice, chop or mince your choice of meat.
Want to see the countryside? You’re spoilt for choice. Within a quick taxi ride of Tai Po district are walled villages, the Bride’s Pool Nature Trail, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Tai Mei Tuk and Lau Soy Heung Reservoir. Patrick’s family still has farmland there – you can spot the ruins of their long-since-abandoned houses where not only his great grandfather was born but many a family legend of tigers, ghosts and bandits.
A myriad of hikes can be done ranging from easy strolls to the more challenging Cloudy Hill, Plover Cove Trail and Eight Fairies Trail.
Great transport links connect Tai Po district to the rest of Hong Kong with it being just 30 minutes up the East Rail Line from Admiralty.
This article featuring a home in Tai Wo village in Hong Kong appeared in the Winter 2025 edition of Expat Living. Purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
Enjoyed reading about Tai Po district? See more in our Neighbourhood Guides section.
