Shanghai Daily news

Alan and Chitra Hepburn’s renovated home is cozy,elegant yet imaginative.

In the amazingly short time of three months, a derelict lane house in Shanghai is now the modern home of an expatriate British family. Ayesha de Kretser walks over the renovated property and talks with its new owners.
The most amazing thing about Alan and Chitra Hepburn's home renova-tions is that only two items - some rubber rollers for the cabinet doors and Italian ceramic paint for the master bedroom - needed to be imported.
Impressively cozy in some regards while imaginative and fantastic in others, this house is a testament to the fact that in Shanghai, home renovators can do literally almost anything.
The couple's hunt to buy a lane house was difficult. Chitra spent six months walking around Shanghai looking for a house on the market that was big enough but not too big. Eventually they found their lane house but it was completely dilapidated inside and needed a major makeover.
"It was pretty much derelict," Alan says. "The plumbing, electrical work and pretty much everything else inside had to be replaced."
They purchased the property in August 2002 and in just 12 weeks managed to complete the renovations and were living in their new home by December. Chitra spent every day on-site, managing a team of some 30 to 35 workers.

The kitchen is an impressive space, with bright blue tiles.-Shen Kai

Being on-site had its advantages, particularly when it came to the kitchen area. The couple had been told that one of the walls was a structural wall and could not be pulled down but when the workmen started work they realized this was not the case.
"Chitra called me very excitedly and we were able to re-organize the plans then and there to make the kitchen more open and include things like the bar area where I often like to sit and have a drink," says Alan.
The kitchen is a friendly but impressive space, with bright blue tiles. Features such as an industrial Berto's oven signal that this is a family fond of entertaining.

The open fireplace is home to a symbolic “blaze” — a crystal installation created by a Shanghainese sculptor. — Shen Kai

Asian influences come in the form of artworks around the house. The open fireplace is home to a symbolic "blaze" - a crystal installation by Zhuang Xiaowei, a well-known Shanghainese sculptor.
"We asked him to use the fireplace as the frame and create something within it and he came up with this idea which is modeled on the Chinese symbol for fire," says Alan.
An oil painting by renowned Chinese painter Ning Tao hangs on a wall in the dining area and outside in a very small courtyard is an impressive sculpture made by Zhang Jianjun from fiberglass and suma ink sitting on top of 200-year-old bricks.
Upstairs on the top floor is where the Hepburn children, aged two and four, have their rooms. The art on the walls is on child-like themes to indicate that this space is their own domain.
The large Japanese-style guest room is furnished with items such as a striking kimono that was worn in a Philippines fashion show and Alan says it is indicative of how his bedrooms were styled before he got married.
The master bedroom has an almost Gothic feel about it but without being too heavy or losing a sense of fun. Big enough for two walk-in wardrobes and a small divan, this room has real character. The ensuite bathroom is roomy and light with blue mosaic tiles and - what Alan jokes is the secret to a successful and happy marriage - separate basins.
The speed with which these renovations were done might leave some with the impression that they are of low-quality work but the couple say they have not had a single major maintenance issue since they moved in. Even the recent typhoon blew through without causing any damage whatsoever to the property.
While some of the items used in the renovation took some searching for, most were readily available. Things like distressed leather were hard to locate, as was the old wood for the dining-room table.
"With two kids we knew whatever look we went for was going to end up distressed, that's why we chose this type of leather for the couches," says Alan.
Chitra recalls being in the house when the massive slab of wood for the table arrived. It had been found on a farm outside Beijing where it was part of the door to an old barn. A friend purchased it to be converted into its new role and Chitra remembers the workmen gasping in horror when it arrived at its new Shanghai address.
"They were all shocked and worried that we'd had to use this old wood because we had run out of money," she says with a laugh.
Being part of the local community is important to any expatriate planning to live in China for a long time and the extraordinary sense of inclusion the family feels about the daily life in their lane is something they treasure knowing that they are privileged to be part of it. Security is never a worry and their small children are well looked after.
"I worry about taking them back to Britain where you have to educate your kids not to play with strangers," says Chitra. "The people here are so wonderful with children and will go out of their way to protect them."
Being part of a Chinese community is what makes the experience of living in Shanghai so special for the Hepburns - and for many other foreigners.
And the excellent result they have achieved in the renovation of their old lane house proves that the necessary high level of skill is available in Shanghai for anyone else who wants to do the same.