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June 2008
Text and Photos by: Michelle Cheow
A two-and-half storey terrace sitting on a piece of freehold land near a certain famous duck rice stall near South Buona Vista Road, this modern design landed house is the second property that Prime Time Morning anchor, Steven Chia , has ever owned.
Living there with his wife, two year old daughter and a live in domestic helper, Steven is quite the domesticated homebody and although wifey was at work at the time of this interview, Steven sure doesn't fail to include her presence by peppering his answers with lots of "WE". Sweet..
Michelle Cheow (MC): How many properties have you owned so far?
Steven Chia (SC): This is our second home. We (wifey and him) renovated our first one as well so it was a lot easier the second time round. The first property was an apartment so it's quite different but our friends who've visited said that they both have the same styles, look and feel.
MC: Any preference and inspiration in terms of design?
SC: I like things simple, clean and I'm a neat person. A friend of mine is an architect so he helped out a lot in the layout and design because we have similar tastes.
MC: I noticed a lot of natural lighting.
SC: Yeah, we like it to feel airy and open. I particularly like ceiling fans because I tend to feel warm so having the ceiling fans helps with the breeze and ventilation. It's also easy to clean as opposed to those with grills.
MC: Are you someone who's savvy with property purchase?
SC: We bought this house to live in, not for investment. We just wanted to find a place near my parents' house in the west because we used to live in town. After having a kid, it was quite a challenge commuting to and fro to drop her off at my parents' place, Hence we started scouting around this area. In fact, we weren't even looking very hard. And we were very lucky to buy this house just before the prices started peaking.
MC: Are you a Feng Shui person?
SC: No. I'm not familiar with it and I grew up in an environment where we are not concerned about such things. I'm not even slightly superstitious.
MC: Any favorite furnishing designer for inspiration of your home décor?
SC: As a matter of fact, a lot of the furniture we have was inherited from my family. We simply refurbish it by sanding it down and varnishing it.
MC: Did your childhood home have any influences on your own place?
SC: My family home was a little crowded because my mum likes collecting things so my own place is different that way because I like things neat and simple. However there are elements of influence such as the luxury of space in a landed house and features like the garden for my kid to run around.
MC: What do you look for in a home?
SC: Now that we have a kid, we like the space like the garden area for my daughter to run around. The space also allows us to bring our friends for gatherings because we like entertaining at home. This explains the layout of the kitchen and dining area (open kitchen concept) which allows for conversations even while we prepare dinner.
MC: Any child-proofing tips to share with other parents?
SC: I believe in teaching the kid what not to do so I don't overly childproof the house. Just commonsensical things such as not placing fragile objects in low-lying areas, keeping sharp, dangerous objects away in drawers and poisons or chemicals in inaccessible parts of the house or locked rooms. The only child-proofing I've done so far is to install the child-safety gates at the stairs because my daughter was learning to walk and I didn't want her rolling down the stairs.
MC: Having bought two properties, are you familiar with the procedures of house purchase or do you rely on advice from your property agent?
SC: We do rely quite a fair bit on agents for the formal paper work but I tend to seek advice from experienced friends for clarifications. We also have a lawyer friend whom I trust so I tend to check with him when in doubt.
MC: DIY or pay someone to do the work? Which one are you?
SC: Simple things like fixing the light bulbs, I'll do it myself. Complicated things, I'd refer to the right expertise.
MC: Plumbing?
SC: Luckily we haven't encountered plumbing issues yet. I don't mind handling the simple stuff. Gardening for instance is my interest so I tend to the garden myself.
MC: So you're Mr. Green Thumb. Any particular plants you are cultivating currently?
SC: There's a tree up front that is new. I'm hoping it'll become like the one at the back garden (a 'teenage' frangipani tree). That started as a sapling and I basically dug in the ground and started planting it in from there about a year ago.
MC: What's your favorite part of the house?
SC: It's right here (we were chatting at the dining area), the kitchen and dining area. Well, more the kitchen because I like to cook. I spend quite a fair bit of time here. Since I get home early enough, I prepare dinner while my wife's still at work.
MC: Can you finish this sentence for me? My house...
SC: My house, hmm.. my house is still a place I like to go home to everyday *grins*
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