🇭🇰 WHERE TO BUY HONG KONG-THEMED GIFTS

ART

Like me, Louise Hill is mad about vintage Chinese thermos flasks, and I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy her Hong Kong Mahjong print which is an explosion of colour and nostalgia! I bought my mother-in-law her China White print has pride of place in her new dining room and I’ve also clubbed together with others to buy leaving friends her iconic WE LOVE HONG KONG on canvas.  Meanwhile, I’ve also got my eye on the talented Belinda Bath’s China Doll for my daughter’s room but it would look just as good in my electric blue kitchen (Yatesie! Are you reading this?!).

I love this gorgeous Hong Kong print for my bestie from Hortense Bender because we used to walk the Morning Trail together when we both lived in Mid Levels and this view is so nostalgic.  I love the sugar pop colours in her art!

I recently went to a Loveramics sample sale and came away with armfuls of their wonderful crockery and ceramics to add to my collection! I love what they do and the contemporary twist on traditions of some of their designs. Their willow love story range would work brilliantly with any existing classic blue and white china you might already have!

Another of my obsessions is old Chinese doors, so I was thrilled to see Sophia Hotung's The Hong Konger series feature them!

I’m a sucker for “daan tarts” and Tai O… so this piece from Wander With Nicole would be the perfect addition to my much-admired guest bathroom collection! Check out her photography prints of the LRP 'hood as well too- delightful!

I would love to get a set of Eleanor McColl’s HK PEOPLE collages. Like us at LRP, Eleanor ‘celebrates the ordinary’ and we share a passion for the overlooked icons of the city like the “cardboard grannies” and street sweepers. In a simple black- or bold bright coloured frames- these would make a killer gift. And have you seen her Chroma collection as well? Her colourful tote bag is something I use every day!

In the spirit of full disclosure, Evolving Patina is my youngest brother John’s passion project, but I love his stuff SO much and I sure you all will too. His photos are composed of abstract patterns from distressed surfaces, and many of them were taken right here in HK on days out we took together. One of them actually features on LRPs 1000 piece puzzle called “Celebrating Hong Kong”. My particular favourites are the ones he shot on a trip to Tai O with me last year and I have a huge 2 metre wide one hanging in my home. They somehow manage to be striking and colourful, yet neutral enough to look good with all your furnishings. I think they’d make an awesome gift for someone’s special birthday… or just a treat for yourself #YOLO.

I cannot be the only one obsessed with King & Country. Founded in the early 80s by two Scottish expats, their solid metal miniatures are a guaranteed winner in the gift stakes. Of course my favourites are their best-selling range “Streets of Old Hong Kong”- a colourful and dynamic series of Chinese figurines and buildings depicting street life in-turn-of-the century Colonial Hong Kong. Go and take a look- you’ll be spoilt for choice!

FAVE BOOK:

I’m a complete sucker for coffee table books about Hong Kong, and  Sunset Survivors really is one of my favourites. We do now sell it but it's too good not to share! It tells the story of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women with interviews and absolutely stunning photos. I read it cover to cover several times over and still often go back to it- all my house guests pick it up to look at. I joined the walking tour pre-Covid times  which the author hosts and I was in HEAVEN! Right up my street! I urge you to book the tour to accompany the book when you can … I took my book along and had fangirl moments when the craftsmen featured kindly signed it. Lindsay, the author, is divine and she signed the front for me too- will always treasure it.

CHEERS!

Since finding out about our growing Craft Beer market here in HK, I’m now obsessed with buying cases of that rather than a crate of Asahi cans from Park n Shop when we go round to friends… and wow it’s always so well received and a great conversation starter.  With names like “Big Wave Bay” and “Dragon’s Back”, the Hong Kong Beer Company has nailed the fun local names although, naturally, I find it more fun to take a mixed case of Lion Rock Brewery beers and try and pass it off as my new line- the Pale Ale always goes down a treat.  From an aesthetic POV, my favourite is Young Master Ales whose labels are to-die-for and, being teetotal myself, this is of extreme importance! They’ve got an big range of beers and I buy their gift vouchers for those hard-to-buy-for HK boys! There’s also Black Kite Brewery , Gweilo and- the ultimate in design porn for me- Moonzen– the boxes they come in are incredibly beautiful- we keep them all to send our LRP orders!! Check out these stunning Moonzen gift sets– amazing value from HK$240 IMO since we’d usually spend that one a bottle of nice wine to take over which has got like a hundred zillion air miles… so much better to support our local micro breweries!