Big on design

Terence Chan has such an extensive collection of iconic furniture and artwork that a tour of his apartment can easily take 90 minutes. -BT
Tay Suan Chiang

Fri, Jul 27, 2012
The Business Times

When you are an interior designer, designing your own home should be a cinch, right?

No, says Terence Chan of design studio Terre. "It is more difficult as I want to fulfil all criteria."

His home is a 1,528 sq ft apartment in Pasir Ris which he shares with his parents. The family used to live in another apartment in the same development which his parents bought.

Iconic furniture, quirky artwork

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In the previous apartment, Mr Chan's own touch was limited to his bedroom. But in this current apartment, which Mr Chan bought for himself, he designed the place entirely. He moved in almost two months ago, after four months of renovation.

The apartment is 18 years old, but it doesn't look it. Stepping into Mr Chan's home is like entering a showflat - it has that designer feel about it, and the home is filled with numerous pieces of iconic furniture and plenty of artwork.

There are many things that catch one's attention, and to the untrained eye, they look like they have been randomly placed. But Mr Chan says otherwise - where each item goes has been carefully considered.

"I move the furniture, artwork, even the lamps around to see where they fit best around the apartment," he says. "Once the items are in their best location, I don't shift them again."

He adds that the design brief to himself is that "the home had to be able to fit my collection of furniture and artworks".

Mr Chan began collecting furniture about 10 years ago, and they include well-known pieces such as Barcelona chairs by Mies van der Rohe, a Charles and Ray Eames lounger and ottoman, Backenzahn stools by Philipp Mainzer, a Wiggle chair by Frank Gehry, and Tom Dixon's Pylon Chair.

Some of the pieces were previously placed in Mr Chan's office in Chinatown, where part of his collection of furniture is kept.

Some homeowners may worry about visitors spoiling their furniture but not Mr Chan.

The only exception is the Wiggle chair, which is made of corrugated cardboard. "I tell my friends they can sit on it, but just don't get it wet," he says.

His collection of artworks are by local and regional artists and also include prints by old and new masters.

Among his favourite pieces are The Little Red Painting by Singaporean artist Jane Lee which he bought at an auction in Hong Kong, and a 1966 etching by Pablo Picasso.

There are also quirky pieces such as two cushions with a single leg each, titled Couple #1 & #2 by I Made Widya Diputra, an Indonesian artist.

And it is hard not to miss the acrylic painting of the Batman logo by French artist William Benhamou.

Each year, Mr Chan heads to the Hong Kong Art Fair and to the Affordable Art Fair to buy art.

His preference for quirky items isn't limited to artworks.

Some of this home accessories have that quirky touch too, such as the set of teacup and saucer hanging lamps in the powder room, or a 5kg door stopper which he bought from Tokyo.

Furnishings aside, much thought also went into the home's space planning.

The apartment used to have three bedrooms but Mr Chan knocked down a wall to combine a smaller bedroom with the master bedroom.

Half of this bigger bedroom is like a living room, where furniture is placed, while the other half is the sleeping area.

"This is like an apartment within an apartment," says Mr Chan.

The previously enclosed kitchen was converted into an open one, so that it could look into the dining area.

Mr Chan often bakes here, while his mother does the heavy cooking in her old kitchen. "She cooks there, and brings the food over for dinner," he says.

Since this is his home, Mr Chan could experiment with ideas that he had, such as colour blocking.

The kitchen is in black, while the living room is in a light grey shade.

He also toyed with having Vietnamese tiles in the dining room, something which he feels clients may not take to.

The flooring in the rest of the apartment is of teak parquet set in a herringbone pattern, which has been stained black. "The walls and floor are kept in a neutral tone, to complement the furniture and the artworks," says Mr Chan.

Long-time neighbours who come to view the apartment are often amazed by how modern it looks.

Friends who come by are given a tour of the place which takes 90 minutes since Mr Chan has much to show. "They are so comfortable here, they find it hard to leave," he says.