Ensure that your home is designed to showcase your passions. Cheryll learned about antique horses from renowned collector and historian Victor Chan. (Courtesy of Denis Chan)

I love Hong Kong - it is a city that never fails to send me home with full suitcases and a diary replete with design inspiration.

This trip was no exception and as I sit in my hotel room at the Intercontinental HK I can't wait to return home and share some of my findings.

Today we shot at the home of Hong Kong's Queen of philanthrophy. A tireless fund raiser, Alice Chiu lives with her family in The Peaks, home to some of the world’s most expensive properties.

Her home was stunning. She chose traditional English decor (as she finds Chinese furniture to be uncomfortable and generally not cozy by nature).

She opted for a soft butter yellow, moss green and rose palette. The space has a very warm feel given the abundance of family photos found on just about every horizontal surface. I am a big advocate for photos around a home, not only to remind you of the best of times but to share those memories and the personality of the home owners with all who visit. Alice shares with us her passions for life and family through her photographs; all elegantly framed in an extensive collection of silver frames.

Alice is a collector and perhaps her most interesting collection is her elephant collection which sits next to a pair of French doors in the living room which open onto the pool and a terrace with one of the best views in Hong Kong. Many of you may also collect elephants which for many Chinese people are thought to bring luck into a home, but what I thought made this collection truly was that there was an elephant for each of her family members. The two largest sliver elephants represent her and her husband, then there are three medium sized elephant to represent each of her three children and then the smaller elephants each one representing a grandchild. I thought that this idea was very special.

Next stop was another fabulous home in The Peaks. Home of the Hon. James P.C. Tien (Legistrative Councillor, Party Chairman and Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board). In Mr. Tien’s home I found a collection of frogs, and before you ask, I'm not sure of the connection with frogs but later in the week I will ask the meaning and will share my findings with you next week.

Both of these multi-million dollar homes – belonging to some of Hong Kong’s most influential – house collections like those that many of also may already share a passion for.

This week I was reminded of a couple of my basic philosophies: The first is that with respect to antiquities and art, it is imperative that we remember that by owning a serious collection or piece of art or antique you are the curator of these pieces and that your primary job is ensuring their safekeeping until you can pass them along to the next keeper.

The second is the importance of being passionate about something (whether it be toy frogs or gilded elephants - it doesn't matter what the item is just so long as it means something to you) and to ensure that our home is designed to showcase those passions. The manner in which we showcase our collections is as important and what we collect and both should be given ample thought and attention.