Blooms in every room

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The Straits Times
Saturday, Jan 19, 2013

Wellness and spa queen Mary Chia lives in a full house.

She shares her 11,000 sq ft Chancery Hill Walk bungalow with her semi-retired husband, their two children and their spouses, and six young grandchildren. And the 63-year-old matriarch would not have it any other way.

Mary Chia's home Click on thumbnail to view

Ms Chia, whose company turns 30 this year, says in Mandarin: "Nowadays, people do not stay with their extended families. I like to have my grandchildren here so that I can dote on them. If we don't stay together, we won't have a chance to see one another as everyone goes out to work and school and are too busy."

The compound is divided into two separate semi-detached units connected at the back. Her daughter, Wendy Ho, who is in her 40s, lives on one side with her family, while Ms Chia lives with her husband, their son, his wife and their three children in the other. The family has lived there since 2005.

Ms Chia, who is still involved with the company's operations and business development, spends a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen. She enjoys cooking so much that she has two kitchens - one indoors and another open-air one at the back of the house which is about 400 sq ft.

Her family and employees, whom she often cooks for as well, swear by her pig trotter in vinegar.

She honed her version of the dish by tasting and trying many versions before coming up with her own recipe, which she keeps a secret.

For a regular cook, Ms Chia's kitchen, which is decked out with stainless steel appliances, is spotless. No pots and pans are left out in the open and dried and canned food is kept in cupboards.

Ms Chia, who cooks mainly during weekends, says: "I like to have everything clean, and it can't be messy. When I cook, I don't like to have other people around. I like to have my space. And I do all the cleaning and washing so that I know where everything is."

The rest of her house is just as minimalist and clean - not one single item is out of place. She is very particular about cleanliness and hygiene as she is afraid of her grandchildren, aged between nine and 15, falling sick.

Among her treasured ornaments is a collection of seashells that sits on the windowsill in her bedroom. They were collected from countries which she has visited, such as Japan, Korea and Switzerland.

"It reminds me of my childhood when I used to live near the beach in Choa Chu Kang. Even then, I had already started collecting them," says Ms Chia, who is the third of 10 children.

She also proudly shows off a bottle of folded paper stars which her grandchildren made for her birthday.

She loves flowers and it is evident in the way vases of flowers adorn the tables in the living and dining room. She buys them regularly from nurseries in Thomson Road. "Flowers bring life to the rooms. I will go to the nurseries every few days to pick out the colourful flowers and place them around the house. I'll even go to the Mary Chia office to change the arrangements there."

She also grows pots of herbs, which she places at the side of the house.

Her other love is cars. She drives two: a Jaguar, for when she needs to ferry her grandchildren around, and a zippy Porsche Carrera.

"I've been driving for the past 40 years. I really like it and I like cars as well. I have the personality of a boy - I just like fast cars."

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