Surrounded by icons: Designer furniture classics fill this Bukit Timah home

STEP into Ng Yoh Thai's home off Bukit Timah Road and you may wonder if you have entered a museum by mistake. Nearly every inch of the 2-storey house is filled with designer furniture and lights.

But while touching the displays in a museum is not encouraged, Ng has no qualms about visitors making themselves feel at home by settling into the many chairs. He is only too happy to show off his collection, which he has been building up for more than 25 years.

"Furniture is meant to be used and enjoyed," says Ng, although he confesses that some pieces are not comfortable for daily use.

The former technology banker, who now runs a tech startup, says he has always had a love for designer furniture, "for their workmanship and their timeless appeal".

One of the first pieces he bought was the Barcelona chair by Mies van de Rohe, but instead of the more common black leather kind, Ng has two pieces in suede. They used to be brown, but apart from a few small spots of wear and tear and the leather having faded to a dusty pink, the pieces are still in good shape.

Design enthusiasts will spot other classics such as the Arco lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the Bubble chair by Eero Aarnio, the Egg chair by Arne Jacobsen, a Noguchi table by Isamu Noguchi and the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames.

Ng says that some pieces were purchased from a now defunct furniture shop that used to sell classic pieces before the likes of high end designer furniture stores Space and Xtra came onto the scene.

He also counts on famed interior designer Peter Tay to help him get some pieces. Tay himself is also a furniture collector, and the two met when Tay found out that Ng was snapping up pieces that he had been eyeing.

"We have become good friends and with his vast network, he's helped me get many pieces," says Ng, who also buys furniture online. With over two decades of experience collecting furniture, Ng can tell if a piece is authentic and has not been ripped off by any online sellers.

Some pieces in his collection are less often seen, such as the bright red Flowerpot pendant lights by Verner Panton hung in the dining room. Panton designed the lights to not only be functional but to evoke emotions. Though they were first launched in 1968, its simple design makes it a stylish addition even to modern homes.

Another classic Panton light whose design transcends time is the VP Globe suspension lamp, which has reflectors inside a transparent acrylic globe. This is still in production; Ng shares however, that "they only make the small ones now, not like the bigger model that I have."

While most chairs and lights are functional and used, there is one light that Ng bought simply "because of architectural aesthetics". He points out the Taraxacum 88 Chandelier designed by Castiglioni, who said that "a big chandelier is meant for lobbies and rooms that need a lot of light for special occasions and so it has to be decorative".

The Taraxacum 88 Chandelier is made entirely out of lightbulbs attached to metal plates. A smaller version is available for sale, but Ng's piece is a much larger one. It is so large that it looks somewhat out of place in a home, but what is more interesting is that it has never been switched on. "There will be a power outage if I try and I imagine the light will be super hot," says Ng, who is content admiring the chandelier with the lights off.

He says most of his pieces have been fairly easy to get, save for a set of African chairs by Tobia Scarpa, which took a "long time to obtain". The chairs, which are made of solid walnut wood, come with ebony inserts on their backs and complement the matching Africa table.

Ng's love for designer furniture has rubbed off on his wife and three kids.

"The pieces give our home a sense of belonging," says wife Rita.

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