Education

Tutors on call The best home tutors to keep your kids learning while schools are closed. By Rik Glauert

ITS Education Asia ITS is ready to dispatch a tutor to your home to help with any academic subject or level of study. From primary school homework to adult learning, the tuition centre is happy to adjust to your schedule and preference for lesson content and formats. 4/F, BOC Group Life Assurance Tower, 134-136 Des Voeux Road, Central. itseducation.asia

Bespoke Tuition This international tuition company promises to be more than an introductory service to its army of British tutors. Bespoke Tuition fosters long-term relationships between families and tutors to help your kids achieve their academic goals and also become confident, motivated and independent thinkers. For more information, call 6219 4047 or email emma@bespoketuition.com. bespoketuition.com

British Tutors As the name suggests these teaching professionals hailing from the UK, focus on the study of English language and literature, from phonics to Shakespeare. They also cover a range of other subjects, delivered in that charming British accent. 1025, 10/F Central Building, 1-3 Pedder Street, Central. britishtutors.com

Arch Education Arch Education is focused on getting your child into the best schools and universities in the world. It covers academic tutoring, exam skills and preparing applications. What’s more, the company boasts an impressive 94% success rate in getting their tutees into Ivy League schools and the top 20 colleges in the US. 2/F & 4/F Wilson House, 19-27 Wyndham Street, Central. arch-education.com

Hong Kong Institute of Languages Brush up your kids’ linguistic skills with a tutor from the Hong Kong Institute of Languages. The school boasts native-language professional tutors offering sessions in English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese. 6/F, Wellington Plaza, 56-58 Wellington Street, Central. hklanguages.com

Elite Kids Elite Kids believes finding the right tutor is key to developing your child’s English language skills. What’s more, the tuition centre has developed their own programs and practice books to not only teach your children, but also inspire them. elite-kids-hk.com

TUTUROO This international online service is a marketplace of qualified tutors. The site is burgeoning in popularity in Hong Kong as it allows you to search based on your child’s level and interest, location and time. tuturoo.com

At home with Tracy Fitzpatrick

Charmaine Ng talks JOMO, downsizing and the latest home trends with Indigo Living’s CEO

What brought you to Hong Kong and what led you to the role of CEO at Indigo Living? I originally transferred to Hong Kong with a shipping company in 1996. I was tasked with setting up a Global Account Management Programme for the Asia Pacific region, which gave me a great opportunity to travel the whole region and deal with many types of corporate accounts. Eventually, I left the business and started consulting.

My friend, John Mclennan (now my business partner at Indigo) was about to embark on new opportunities in the Middle East so I joined him on this venture. Soon we realised we complemented each other in our work styles and started to build the business together. That was 14 years ago.

How’s life in Shek O? What inspired your move here? The children are finally flying the coop, so downsizing seemed appropriate. Having lived in Shek O briefly before, we knew the slowerpaced, chilled, beachside atmosphere was perfect for our new chapter in life.

Life in Shek O is blissful. It’s a place to relax and wind down away from the hustle and bustle of the city. When we step outside we can immediately engage with the shopkeepers and villagers and there is always something going on.

You moved from a beautiful home in Pok Fu Lam. How does your home in Shek O compare? Our Shek O home is smaller which offered us an opportunity to reorganise, figure out what we really needed, declutter and do a home refresh.

We have a rooftop and balcony with views of both the sea and Dragon’s back. We wake up to birds chirping and the sounds of the sea – it’s pure bliss.

How does a beachside lifestyle compare to city life? What’s an average weekend like? We feel closer to nature here and take every opportunity to get up into the hills with our dog Rosie. Then we follow up with a refreshing swim right on our doorstep. We also love having friends over since we can entertain on our rooftop, hang out on the beach or grab a coffee or drink at the Back Beach Bar.

What did you have in mind when designing your home? Where did you take inspiration from? I had the pleasure of working with Alexandra, our Indigo Living interior decorator, while designing my home. The brief to her was to create something completely different from my previous home, something simple and clean yet elegant and sophisticated.

Given Shek O is a beachside village, inspiration was drawn from the beach using a natural colour palette of creams and beiges with hints of blues and greens coming through in the accessories.

How has your style evolved through the years? I have always been a combination of town and country. The city is there, dynamic, accessible and fun but with this move I find myself relaxing into country, coastal, beachside living and my style reflects that. It is also important for me to create memories from my travels around the

yoga class. Taking that break to breathe gives you the clarity you need to find a solution from a different perspective, to recharge and find the inner strength to face your next obstacle.

world which is very much reflected in the artwork we have.

What do you look for when selecting a piece of furniture or artwork for your own home? For furniture, I love the combination of contemporary and rustic. A piece needs to be comfortable yet practical to cater for family living – especially when you live with boisterous boys and a dog!

With artwork, I am looking for something that is real, not too off-piste and most importantly makes me feel happy. The artwork always evokes memories either of the time or place it was purchased.

During these tough times, how can Hong Kongers make their home into a sanctuary? With extra time at home, now’s the time to redecorate and make it as comfortable and as inviting as possible. You want to create a space

As a CEO, I have tried to lead and guide at the same time, to break down barriers, empowering employees, encouraging more open communication and teamwork across the different business units. At the end of the day, our people are our biggest asset in ensuring a successful business and I have strived to build a positive culture and workplace to foster company culture, communication and greater accountability.

to enjoy spending time in, whether it be on your own or with family and friends. It’s also a good time to declutter, organise and find better storage solutions to help keep your place clean and items easy to find. I also think it’s nice to have a pick-me-up during difficult times by transforming everyday occasions into special ones, be it with a new floral arrangement, scent, beautiful dinner set or fresh cushions to brighten up your day. Light and airy kitchen space

As we’re celebrating International Women’s Day this month, can you describe any challenges you’ve faced as a female CEO in Hong Kong? When I first started out, admittedly it was very much an ‘all boys club’ and having to push through that barrier, focus on my career, as well as balance my life back then as a single mom was challenging and tough at times. I found the best way to get through those moments was to take a step back, go for a walk, swim or do a How have you worked as a business to overcome recent events in Hong Kong including protests and the virus? Our Indigo family has really pulled together to support each other, we are working as much as possible to be able to deliver to the company’s high standards. Everyone has been very understanding and flexible in their decision making, which helps boost morale and overall positivity.

We are trying to maintain a ‘business as usual’ approach with our customers in store and also offer an online and over the phone service. Needless to say, we are also undertaking every preventative measure to ensure the safety and health of both our staff and customers from regularly sanitising our stores to our staff and delivery teams wearing masks and taking temperature checks.

What’s big in the interior design world for 2020? What are you excited about instore? It’s all about JOMO – the Joy Of Missing Out, a phrase replacing FOMO (fear of missing out). JOMO is all about wellness in the home, and if staying in is the new going out then why not make your home the best place it can be? As a result, we are seeing a lot of comfortable yet stylish furnishings, design looks that bring the outdoors in with botanical motifs and animalia accessories,

Another continuing trend we love is small apartment living. As apartments get smaller, people are opting for sustainable, minimalist home furnishings where every object has multiple functionalities.

Sustainability is becoming a key trend in many businesses now. What steps are you taking to become more sustainable? We have put more focus on sourcing products from sustainable suppliers and supporting local designers and businesses. Sustainability for me is also about buying good quality items that can pass the test of time in terms of style and durability.

What advice do you have for people living in a small place, how can they make the most out of it? My first point of advice would be to make sure your furniture fits your space appropriately. In small apartment living, less is more. Use a lighter colour palette to make the space feel larger and invest in multifunctional furniture to really maximise the use of space and purpose. You can then add colour with accents such as cushions, accessories and artwork.

What advice do you have for people looking to refresh their space? Try and let go and be prepared to be openminded. I like using Pinterest to collect up ideas or look through magazines to get inspiration. I recommend people take the free Indigo Style Quiz, which helps identify your style. I would also recommend getting a free design consultancy with one of our designers – they help gather your thoughts on your style, colour palette and teach you how to select keys pieces and how to best utilise the space you have.

How is a perfect weekend spent for you and your family? A perfect weekend is staying in Shek O and not having to drive into the city at all. JOMO! We start the day going for a hike or run in the mountains and often end with a trip to the beach. I find cooking very therapeutic so you will find me in our open plan kitchen engrossed

in a cookbook and making a great mess. I enjoy making meals for family and friends over the weekend and love to have people over for a BBQ – the more the merrier!

Warm tones and a touch of glam

Virus-proof your home

Rik Glauert shares his top tips for keeping your living space germ-free

1. Wash your hands Wash your hands the first thing after you get home. The best practice is to spend at least 20 seconds (or about as long as it takes to sing the song ‘Happy Birthday’) using soap and warm water. Make sure you wash your palms, between the fingers, fingertips, backs of hands, thumbs, and wrists.

wearing it in crowded places will have been wasted if you start shoving dirty fingers into the holes on your face. Bad habits to kick now include nose-picking, ear-fiddling, nail-biting and thumb-sucking.

4. Wipe your door handles Door handles are another virus hotbed. This is because you’ll be putting your grubby hands all over them whenever you come in. Consider placing a pack of antiviral wipes by the door to make sure you are wiping germs away regularly. Or, hang a bottle of alcohol spray to remind you to regularly disinfect. Light switches and remote controls are other possible harbours for the virus.

5. Filter your air While modern air conditioning units often include filters to keep out bacteria, pollen, mold and pollution, they may not be catching everything. Consider adding ultraviolet filters to your air conditioning unit or investing in an air purifier.

6. Clean with bleach Disinfect your home by cleaning with a diluted 1:99 bleach solution (one part household bleach and 99 parts of water). Take extra precaution by wiping down frequently touched surfaces more diligently.

7. Clean your toilet There have been signs to show the new coronavirus can be spread by faeces and building pipes. Clean your toilet and all surfaces in the bathroom regularly. Close the lid after you’ve “finished” but before you flush to avoid faecal particles dispersing. Check your extractor fan is in fact extracting bad air rather than blowing in possibly contaminated air. And, get a licensed plumber to check on your pipes if they are getting old or if you’ve modified them previously.

8. Clean your kitchen The kitchen is another possible place where the virus could make the jump from outside your body to inside. Any surface that you touch during food preparation could put the virus on your family’s menu, so be sure to clean all worktops regularly with disinfectant to prevent germs from lingering around.

9. Do laundry regularly When you come home, remove outside jackets and coats and leave them by the door. Wash your clothes regularly – as you normally would– to keep them clean.

2. Clean your phone Did you know, your mobile phone is 10 times dirtier than the toilet seat? You heard that right. With coronavirus on the loose, make it a habit to wipe down your phone using a combination of 60 percent water and 40 percent rubbing alcohol every few hours.

10. Leave your shoes at the door Luckily this is embedded in local culture. But, needless to say, your shoes could be carrying all sorts of germs, including the virus. Be sure to take them off before walking around your home. Wash your hands after touching your shoes and consider regularly disinfecting your shoe cabinet.