Born in London to a Spanish father and a Portuguese mother, Ana de Olazabal’s early years were nomadic, with the family moving around the world, following her father’s job.
As an adult, with that travel bug entrenched from an early age, Ana has lived in Portugal, Spain, the UK, Italy, the US, and, for the last six years, Hong Kong.
Everybody thought I was crazy, after deciding a bit randomly to live in Hong Kong,” she shares. As the head of image and style at Indigo Living, Ana’s role involves overseeing the brand’s visual identity, from managing the visual merchandising and styling teams to conceptualising its lookbooks and other collaterals. Schooled in interior design, she took a postgraduate course at Sotheby’s Institute of Art before working with auction houses and galleries for over five years. She shifted her focus to retail and visual merchandising after a stint styling window displays for Hermès in Spain. In my current job I get to apply everything I’ve learnt and experienced along the way,” she says.
Her global adventures are reflected in her bright and airy 450-square-foot home on Elgin Street. Here, Ana walks us through some of her favourite spaces, and how she approached decorating her flat within a reasonable budget.
Of finding her apartment, Ana says, It was love at first sight with the vintage windows. I absolutely had to have it. The spaces are also a great size. Every room has windows and has wonderful light, which for me is a must too. Overall, I wanted this flat to feel like home, to represent me. I was tired of going out so much and I wanted to want to stay home. I wanted something comfortable with interesting objects to look at and feel inspired by.”
Ana’s goal was to make the apartment feel truly personal, telling herself to treat it not as just another rented flat, but as her own home. So I did everything as if I were staying in this flat forever.”
I am open to different tastes, cultures and opinions. My style is very eclectic — more is more. I am definitely not afraid to mix. I use my home to experiment as much as I can, and it’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do. I had the walls painted in Thundercloud-Dulux for two years and then I painted it my favourite white shade – Ruffled Feathers-Dulux. My bedroom is quite dark and dramatic in Connecticut Blue. It feels as if I’m waking up in a cottage anywhere in the world. I also collect Asian handmade hats and have them hanging all over the walls.”
My other dream was to have a proper open dressing room. I used the stainless steel brackets and glass shelving, custom-made to fit the room perfectly. I wanted to have my own ‘store’ at home. Having the dressing room communicating through an archway to the bedroom was also one of the reasons I fell in love with the flat. It’s also the perfect setting for my favourite piece – the Chinese screen with beautiful inlaid bone, mother of pearl and jade.
I normally find my secondhand treasures during my travels as I have more mind space and time to window shop. Cat Street is a go-to for me. If you go often enough, and are curious enough, you will make some really interesting buys. All the screens here are from there.”
It helps to be a compulsive buyer and hoarder,” Ana says of her extensive collection of unique pieces. My grandfather was an antiques collector, so I guess I’ve always looked as objects not as an individual piece but as part of a group, style or theme. Once I go down one route I need to have several interpretations of it. I especially like handmade objects by anonymous overlooked artists and artisans. I love the purity, simplicity of the handmade Asian hats and how different they all look. Each one reminds me of different travels.”
Ana’s goal was to make the apartment feel truly personal, telling herself to treat it not as just another rented flat, but as her own home. So I did everything as if I were staying in this flat forever.”
The totem by artist Ashley Hicks is also a favourite. I have always been an admirer of David Hicks, his father, especially his fabrics, and I started following him on Instagram a few years ago. When he started publishing photos of his small totems I couldn’t resist.”
My favourite Indigo Living product is my sofa. If I have to recommend what to spend money on, after a mattress, it’s a sofa — because that’s where you are going to spend your time. My accessories, from all of the bar pieces, cushions, minerals, petrified wood, candles and small candle trays., and my dinnerware are mostly from Indigo Living. The products work amazingly well with my street finds, and give them a bit of glam and more interest.”
My favourite view is from my bed looking into the living room. Sometimes I read or watch Netflix, but I love looking up and seeing a bit of the living room and imagining how I can change it next time,” Ana concludes.
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