Elisabeth de Brabant is proof that a house is more than just four walls and a roof, because if you ask her about her first six months living in Shanghai, she'll tell you she wasn't all that sold on the city.

Trapped in a large, draughty house with intermittent hot water supplies, she found it difficult to muster the enthusiasm she now so clearly possesses about her adopted home.

The turning point in her Shanghai story came when she stumbled across an art deco villa, in the process of being restored by a famous London architect and Hong Kong couple. There was plenty of interest in the property, the reasons for which are many, but her determination and persistence paid off in the end.

Six months after arriving, Shanghai suddenly seemed like a very different place. Not least of which reasons for this was her new home.

It's easy to see how a home like hers could have such a tremendous impact. Not only is it full of light, spacious, stylish and like something fresh from the pages of Vogue Living magazine, it is filled with some of the most stunning pieces of contemporary Chinese art imaginable.

De Brabant is the co-director of Art Scene China, which was started in 1997 by her business partner, Sami Wafa in Hong Kong.

Art Scene China has been expanding as rapidly as China's contemporary art scene itself, and today has three galleries in Shanghai alone, the biggest of which is located in the Suzhou Creek area on Moganshan Road.

Originally from the United States, de Brabant says Shanghai's art world is currently in the process of some very exciting developments.

"What's really excellent about Shanghai is that it's like New York in its young stages, and there's a feeling that you can do anything," says de Brabant.

The open minded, flexible and rapidly changing atmosphere mean this affable woman is presented with opportunities to work on projects she might never have fathomed being a part of elsewhere.

Meeting with directors from the National Gallery and the MoMA as part of Art Scene's work in China, de Brabant says the openness of people in Shanghai is one of the things she likes best about living here.

"It's wonderful. I get the chance to meet with incredible people here in Shanghai," she says.

It was her passion for art which eventually helped her win over the owners of the villa she was so excited by, when she promised to use the space as a gallery of sorts.

In the dining area adjoining the living room, de Brabant displays some breathtaking pieces.

Works such as Hung Liu's "Red River," John Biao's "Cafe" and photographs from Zhu Hao currently feature in the space, but de Brabant says she likes to rotate the art on display regularly.

More contemporary Chinese art features throughout the rest of the house, lending a personal and inviting feel to the fantastic but classic environs created.

Located in an enclave off Huaihai Road, the lane house is nestled amongst a neighborhood with a distinctly Chinese feel. Interestingly, de Brabant points out there are no blinds or curtains in any room. It's somewhat voyeuristic to take pleasure in glimpsing the surrounds in which this home is placed, but then this is what living in China is all about.

Neighbors share, private and public space is merged and people, for the most part, bond in their small local enclaves, regardless of whether they are foreign or Chinese.

The real beauty of this home, from the art that adorns its walls to the cheeky views from its windows, is its congruity with its surrounds. And the wonderful thing about its owners, is their appreciation of how lucky this makes them.

(Shanghai Daily March 13, 2006)