Home, for Yukiko Murayama, a Chinese-Japanese freelance writer, is a place where past memories and her present life coalesce. Growing up in Japan, Murayama came to China when she was 20 years old to care for her late mother who ran a film and TV production company in Beijing. Since then, she has spent one-third of her time in the three-bedroom flat her mother bought and furbished near Workers' Stadium in Beijing.

Hundreds of small cotton flannel toys her mother collected are displayed around every corner of the apartment.

"I'm a very nostalgic person," Murayama said. Since she loved Hello Kitty in high school, Murayama has a whole range of Hello Kitty in all sizes displayed on a bookshelf.

"To me, each one is a unique memory. For example, I got this one from Mum at the Hong Kong airport," she said, pointing to a bulky kitty with extraordinarily big head.

"And that one over there, with a flower on her head, was a birthday gift from my first boyfriend."

Although she is unwilling to abandon most of her mother's furniture, Murayama did feel it necessary to redecorate her study.

"The furniture in my study was so old-fashioned that I felt suffocated. I longed for an atmosphere that matched my own character and encouraged efficient work," she said.

Her decoration theme was inspired by the architecture of Paris, a perfect mixture of elements both traditional and modern. Although buildings in Paris are known for their Beaux-Arts stylism on the outside, the interiors are invariably modern.

"What appeals to me most is the transition from the external to the interior is so natural that people have no abrupt feelings. That really inspired me when I was designing the study," she said.

A modern black- and white-striped sofa, against a black flower pattern wallpaper, successfully creates a room with a modern classical style.

"Everybody said I was crazy to put black paper onto the wall. But I just love it. It is just the effect I wanted. And I'm proud of my DIY with the old items," Murayama said.

"Never throw away old things because they've been part of your life and you can always discover new possibilities in them."

The bookshelves covering one wall are tailor-made from Boloni, but without backboard, which Murayama said minimizes her damage to the forests.

She sprayed the crystal chandelier white and asked an artisan from Suzhou to come and upholster the old brown swivel chair in black silky leather.

The dedicated follower of fashion changed a smaller bedroom into a walk-in wardrobe, which displays all her dresses and shoes. A closer look reveals that all the shoes are aligned according to their colors, which helps her choose the pair that best accompanies any chosen outfit.

But above all, her transformation of her mother's bed is perhaps what the DIY fan is most proud of.

She added an iron frame onto the existing tall pillars at the four corners of the bed and decorated it with white fine gauze based on a model she saw at a curtain shop in London.

"Now it looks like a princess's bed," she said.

A master of fabrics, Murayama chose elegant purple drapery for curtains in each room, hiding the plain window frames. She also hung a pair of curtains that reach to the floor at the entrance of the long corridor that leads to bathroom and bedrooms, adding a regal touch to the decor.

She was also excited to show off her beautiful pearl blind at the entrance of her bedroom, which has no door.

The fabulous blind of pearls is used to separate the space. "Why should a door be a must? I don't like being blocked in. Rules are to break, aren't they?" she asked.