The Infinity Bench (top) is a kitchen classic indicative of Tree's design philosophy and style. Wakley recently added a children's furniture range, with practical furniture like the Ferum single bed and its bedroom partners (above). Provided to China Daily

Lawyer-turned-furniture-designer Nicole Wakley has a home farm in Australia's New South Wales, but she is also creating a sustainable children's furniture collection for the Tree label. Rebecca Lo tells the story.

It is the definitive yummy mummy event. Hong Kong's society women are out in full force, nibbling on magic wand-shaped cheese sticks and sandwiches cut like little girls as they are introduced to Nicole Wakley, the founder of Tree and a yummy mummy in her own right. Though the British self-taught designer now lives on a farm out in the bush of New South Wales with her husband and two young sons, she is still the creative force behind Tree, a furniture company she established in Hong Kong in 2005. A decade ago, Wakley was a high-flying lawyer working in corporate Hong Kong who found herself doodling during late night cases on what eventually evolved into the Husky dining table. "I suppose I have a natural instinct for design," she admits, in Hong Kong to celebrate Tree's sixth anniversary and the launch of its latest collection Treekids. "Maybe it's a girly thing or, more probably if I'm honest, it's my finicky nature that draws me towards fussing over interiors, designs and colors. You can take the girl out of law but not the detail of the law out of the girl. "Partnered with my increasing love of travel and the inspiring things I would discover on these trips, a new picture of what I wanted to do began to form. I decided I would follow my dream of combining my instinctual nature to design with the incredible sustainable materials I discovered on my travels - and share it with Hong Kong." Tree began as an answer to contemporary furniture that includes environmental responsibility. Collections for the living room, dining room, bedroom and outdoor areas are beautifully crafted with simple, classical lines that let the materials speak for themselves.

Wakley readily admits to being influenced by Scandinavian designs, and this can be seen in the natural honesty of her predominantly wooden furnishings. Most of the pieces are made by hand in Indonesia, supported by a team of experienced carpenters in Hong Kong who can apply custom finishes for a unique look.

Wakley believes strongly in sustainability - what she calls 'upcycling'. "It is a concept that we are loving," she explains with enthusiasm. "Taking everyday items and creatively reusing these old materials for something brand new. Each piece of teak furniture from our signature collections is reclaimed and carries a unique story. Many items have been salvaged from wood sources decades old.

"Our motto - reclaimed, recycled, reloved - stems from our signature ranges and its sustainable roots, and we like to instill this concept into everything we do as a business.

"Our Ferum collection, for example, mixes sustainability and innovation with an arty twist. Handcrafted from wood from abandoned fishing boats in Indonesia, they have been reclaimed and redesigned while preserving the original paint, bringing a patchwork of vibrant colors into the home.

"Recently, Tree discovered a decommissioned dragon boat left abandoned on Discovery Bay beach. Despite its huge size and weight, we were able to get our Tree team together to salvage the boat and lovingly re-craft it into 17 unique dragon boat furniture pieces which we sold as a limited edition Dragon Boat Collection - a chance to own a piece of Hong Kong, literally.

"We also decided that all proceeds from this collection rightfully should be donated to the 11th Annual Hong Kong International Coastal Cleanup Challenge, organized by Ecovision Asia, which works tirelessly to raise awareness for water pollution in Hong Kong and around the world."

Another example of Wakley's upcycling is a line of fun stools, chairs, pouffs and beanbags made from recycled denim jeans. These are the perfect accompaniment to the more architectural pieces of Treekids. Instead of cute or themed furnishings, Treekids emphasizes flexibility and pieces that children can grow into while learning to treasure them.

The uniquely funky matrix of Treekids' Ferum collection features sturdy black iron frames. It includes a foldable work desk, smart storage solutions and an extendable coat hanger on casters that Wakley's boys use as a skateboard around their home. "That's the thing about kids: They will take furniture and make it their own," she notes.

Treekids Pure, a complete bedroom set, encourages children to tidy up after themselves while fostering imagination. Clever space-saving ideas include desks on casters, trundle beds for impromptu pajama parties and large boxes with lockable wheels that disappear after a day of play.

There is a complimentary line of accessories that allude to Wakley's love for Hong Kong. These include area rugs depicting oversize colorful graphics of the Hong Kong skyline, trams and the city's flower, the bauhinia.

Tree's flagship showroom on the top floor of an industrial building in Hong Kong's Ap Lei Chau is also very children friendly, with many shoppers bringing their children to romp while enjoying a cappuccino at its caf. Wakley first found the space when she was pregnant, and transformed it from a SIM card manufacturing facility to an airy, contemporary shop with a baby-changing room.

After moving to Australia, she handed the reins to good friend and former Body Shop executive Kate Babington. Despite not being involved in the day-to-day operations of Tree, Wakley still considers it her first baby.

"Of course Kate and I keep in touch regularly and I still love to dip my toe in here and there and get involved," she admits. "Sometimes I'm quite green with envy, vicariously living a part of my life through Kate - and then something incredible happens on the farm, like our little lambs being born, to snap me out of it and to appreciate my beautiful life there."

Wakley is now looking at setting up branches of Tree in Sai Kung and Cyberport, but does not have plans to open outside of Hong Kong.

"We don't want to franchise," she says, explaining that Tree already ships globally.

"Where previously Tree attracted mostly expats, our customers are now expats and locals alike as well as visitors from around the world. We love to see the diversity of nationalities that come through our doors every day - much like our Tree team, which is made up of a fun mix of cultures. We celebrate and nurture this eclectic mix every day."

You can contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 10/23/2011 page14)