Metro> Expats
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Metro> Expats
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Ikea? We only shop there for food!
By Alexandra Leyton (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-06 13:42
Jan and Karin Roos have lived in China for more than three years - and have moved three times. But the couple, along with their two sons, Jesper and Jonathan, has finally found a spot to settle down in. In the luxurious Cathey View compound, which is a stone's throw from the International School Western Academy of Beijing in Chaoyang district, the family has found a little piece of heaven and have decided to sell up in Sweden. Their large, red front door opens into a beautiful hutong-style courtyard, skirted with green plants and, once inside the house, two smiling Buddha statues are the first things to stand out, shortly followed by a large red painting that stands in stark contrast with the simply white walls. The entrance is also where the Roos keep the first piece of furniture bought in Beijing - a classic washbasin. "We thought it was a chair and thought, 'perfect'. When we later realized what it really was we were glad we only bought one," said Karin. Black and white pictures of their new neighborhood, as well as other areas of China, adorn the walls and bookshelves, all taken by themselves and expertly framed in simple black frames. "The good thing about China is that you can always find a good handy man, like frame-makers, that can do things according to your specific taste. It makes things more personal, that is why we don't shop for furniture in big department stores," said Karin. The home has one large modern, white kitchen that is undeniably Scandinavian, with its silver Ikea clock and miniature Swedish flag, as well as a small room, where the family's ayi, cooks Chinese food. Oriental brass sculptures of buddhas and dragons are littered throughout the house, creating a cozy feeling. Despite being from a land renowned for affordable, quality furniture, there is little of it on show here. However, the couple has amassed quite a few artistic glass designs by famous Swedish artists, such as Costa Boda and Hoganas. "The only Swedish furniture we have in our living room is a white bone couch, which we brought with us from home," Karin said. "It's strange when you know you can get all these things from Ikea. When we go to Ikea, it's mainly only to buy Swedish food." Being expats and not knowing how long you will stay in a country, the decision of whether to invest in furniture can be a big one. For the Roos, using only what the landlord left them to save on decoration was never an option. "We are a family and we wanted to feel at home in China from day one, so we bought things we liked. If we decided to move back in the future, we can always sell the things we bought or take them with us," said Jan. This means every purchase is carefully selected and, usually, has its own story, such as the handmade wood sculptures, a gift from Jan's step father. The Chinese furniture the couple has bought is mostly red.
"We are Swedish, so to us Nordic designs are cool; a lot of glass, straight lines, gray and white and black. Back home our house was decorated in a modern fusion style and we didn't have anything in red, so this is different and I love it," said Karin. The house boasts large bedrooms, especially the master, which is a small studio with a high ceiling. "The only thing missing is a kitchen," Karin said. "This is the first house we live in that we don't need to order our own mattresses in all the bed rooms, since in China, the beds hardly have mattresses at all or if so they are too hard." The basement is a perfect spot for Jesper and Jonathan to relax in with friends. It has a large sofa, a projector and screen for watching movies, and an Xbox game console. Here you can also a guest room for sleepovers. The family says they love their new area because it feels lao, old. Before they moved they had lived surrounded by expats neighbors. Now, they are one of the few foreign residents in an area popular among affluent Chinese. "Around our home are several parks and lakes built in a an old traditional Chinese style and when we take a walk in the evening you can easily imagine a movie set in an old romantic Chinese movie," said Karin.
The children's schools are also close by and the area has a clubhouse hosting a spa, gym, and pool as well as a tennis court and a small golf pitch - a big plus for golf fan Jan. "I try to play golf once a week," he said. Despite the family's cozy location, Jan and Karin refuse to rule out a move downtown sometime in the future. "Who knows? Maybe it would be nice to see what life is like there. But right now we prefer it here," said Karin.
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