Life.Culture.Discovery.

How to give a bland rental flat personality: drench it in bold hues

Cinda McClelland Reynolds summoned her passion for colour, art and eclectic furniture to turn a white box into a visually stunning space

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Cinda McClelland Reynolds of Tory Burch transformed her Mid-Levels rental flat with a splash of colour. Photo: Eugene Chan

Published: 2:00pm, 18 Mar 2025

If you think it’s impossible to give rental apartments a personality, step inside Cinda McClelland Reynolds’ 2,345 sq ft apartment in Mid-Levels. The colour-drenched living and dining area is a masterclass in the transformative power of interior design, with rich golden-yellow walls radiating sunshine on even the cloudiest day.

“The apartment was a white box when I moved in but I am a maximalist and prefer to have colour where I can,” says McClelland Reynolds, an American expatriate who moved from New York to Hong Kong in 2016, with her job as vice-president of international planning at the fashion brand Tory Burch.

The study, with artwork by Takesada Matsutani. Photo: Eugene Chan

She and her husband initially lived in an adjacent building but after having children – a son, now four, and a daughter, one – they felt they needed more space. Their current three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment is situated on the floor above that of her business partner and best friend of 16 years, Lucia Tait Tolani, with whom she co-founded the e-commerce platform Permanent Resident in 2023. The site offers a selection of distinctive new, upcycled, pre-owned and vintage furniture and decor, and is echoed by a homeware boutique in Tai Kwun that the two women opened last year.

“The fun part about renting is that it offers a chance to try something new, and painting is a great way to play around in a non-permanent way,” says McClelland Reynolds. “In my last apartment, I had shades of berry and blue and one room was entirely black but when we moved here, I decided to try a fresher palette. I enjoy a softer scheme in the bedrooms but you will still see colour there.”

Apart from living and breathing fashion for much of her working life, McClelland Reynolds has had no formal interiors training other than experimenting with her own homes. Her style is a harmonious blend of traditional and modern influences, a compromise between her own classic preferences and those of her husband, who likes a more contemporary vibe. The pale green sofas that she designed herself, for instance, have an unmistakable Chesterfield silhouette but incorporate contemporary tweaks, such as low armrests and deep seats.