A Minimalist Touch

YOU WON'T FIND a profusion of kumquat trees or bright red scrolls decorating Rachel Tan's Bukit Timah home for Chinese New Year. Not for the entrepreneur whose design studio Urban Li'l retails its own festive decorations which are designed in-house using laser-cutting and printing techniques.

Instead of ornate trinkets hanging from pussy willow branches, there are slim laser-cut hanging ornaments with a rat motif to symbolise the Year of the Rat.

And rather than the ubiquitous good luck scrolls or even pineapple lanterns, a sleek wooden plaque customised with the family's name that takes pride of place.

"Less is more. I'm not one who goes overboard. The clean look is in line with the brand philosophy," she says.

Ms Tan's design philosophy is to create aesthetically beautiful and functional designs, that are minimalist but with a hint of tradition to appeal to today's homeowners. "Traditional mass market decor is great but not quite suited for modern homes with Scandinavian and contemporary themes. Our clients are mostly between the ages of 20 to 40 and they prefer designs that would go well with their homes," says Ms Tan.

That's why most of the decoration is in the living room, and kept simple. To show how Christmas can be adapted for Chinese New Year, a pink pussy willow wreath adorns the living room wall, with the Chinese word for spring in the centre.

Across from it is a decal with blessings for the year ahead. The main door is adorned with the wooden plaque bearing the family name.

Of course, it was also a matter of convenience that she decorated her home with things from her online store. Since November, it has been non-stop work for the mumpreneur who started Urban Li'l in 2015 as a hobby making kids-centric decorative accessories such as cake toppers, decals and craft kits, but has since expanded to cater to homes and businesses.

Christmas kept Ms Tan and her team busy making festive wreaths and the like and by Boxing Day there was no reprieve as they rolled out their Chinese New Year range.

In the midst of work, she tried to do some Chinese New Year shopping. "I save time by eating in the car. When the kids are in school, I squeeze in some time to prepare for Chinese New Year," she says. Ms Tan and her pilot husband have two daughters, aged five and two.

Ms Tan and her team of designers find inspiration from sites from as Pinterest but also have regular brainstorming sessions. "We can have 50 ideas, but then we will narrow down to the best 10," she says.

Customised requests make up about 90 per cent of their orders, such as those of family names, with Chen and Li being the most popular. Among her top selling items is a series of plywood floral toppers, that can be displayed in a vase. "They can still be displayed even after Chinese New Year," says Ms Tan.

Even if her home design tastes leans towards minimalism, she is traditional in other aspects of the new year. One of them is shopping for clothes for the girls and herself. "I believe in wearing red and bright colours for Chinese New Year."

Festive goodies such as pomelo,Mandarin oranges, pineapple tarts, bak kwa and almond cookies are a must, as are pots of flowers she picks up from the nursery.

For their reunion dinner tonight, the family will be enjoying steamboat, which Ms Tan's mother-in-law has been preparing for the last few days, including a soup stock that is made from scratch. There will also be home-made ngoh hiang, or Chinese five spice pork roll, and yusheng.

"My own family is Teochew, so there will be traditional favourites such as orh nee and rabbit fish. There will be plenty of fish dishes because of its auspicious significance," she adds.

Since young, Ms Tan has followed the tradition of staying up late on the eve of Chinese New Year. The belief is that the later children stay up late, the longer their parents will live. "The girls are still young, so I won't expect to go to bed late. But my husband and I will do so," she says.

Although the months leading to Chinese New Year has meant a jam-packed schedule with little sleep, Ms Tan says this is one festival that she enjoys a lot.

"The best part of Chinese New Year is meeting up with the extended family, many of whom I only get to see once a year," she says.