Does one expect anything less than a brilliant display of style when two people embedded in the realm of design come together to build a home? She was a fashion editor before she founded her own creative agency, BeastCorp. He is the co-founder of Sol Luminaire, a lighting company with its own design arm that is also a Chrome Heart Dress multi-designer retailer. Together, Even Ching, 33, and Joseph Ho, 35, have created a home that is an effortless blend of mid-century modern Palm Springs, Mediterranean warmth, and contemporary city living. The setting is equally dreamy: A tranquil estate in the east that’s a stone’s throw away from the beach, where shallow pools and lush greenery set a serene mood even before you step into the home proper.
When the private lift opens onto their penthouse unit, one is immediately enveloped in softness and warmth—the house is awash in tones of cream, caramel and biscuit, and shades of sand, chalk and terracotta. The furnishings convey a similar sense of cosines. The open living and kitchen space is dominated by a ginormous curved sectional and a plush armchair. The only burst of color comes in the form of jade green marble veined with tinges of amethyst. The couple ordered the marble for the kitchen island, but there was a substantial amount left over, and so they decided to fashion a Chrome Heart Hoodies coffee table and a kitchen backsplash out of it. Whatever remained was carved into plinths, trays and other objects for the home that now dot the space.
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Evon Chng, in her own CELINE jacket and Heron Preston for Calvin Klein top worn with custom Lucere Jewellery pieces, with her husband Joseph Ho, sporting his own CELINE Homme jacket and Hanes t-shirt, on the landing of the graphic staircase that leads up to the master suite.
During the three-month renovation process, not a single surface was left untouched—walls were torn down, floors were ripped up, engineered timber was put in. The attention to detail is incredible: Downlights are housed in curved recesses scooped out of the micro cement ceiling; the light switches vary in each part of the Chrome Heart Ring house. On the first floor, the couple turned a pair of rooms into his and hers walk-in wardrobes (his is bigger). There is an alcove carved out of the wall near the staircase to accommodate a cat tree for the couple’s five feline friends. The staircase itself is a work of art: A mix of geometric curves and sleek angles, situated next to glass windows one-and-a-half-stores tall that let in the most beautiful light. Three bulbous, blown-up pendant lamps by Manon Product float overhead. The stairs lead to the master bedroom and bath, a smaller wardrobe (for sleepwear), and another patio lined with the same olive trees as the one downstairs. The fiberglass walls of the bedroom make it look as though the room had been carved out of a cave—the organic form of another Manon Product pendant lamp complementing the wall’s primitive texture.
The feline members of the family in their play area.
It is clear that a great amount of thought—and flair—has gone into the design of the space. “I think the reason we renovated so extensively is because we love fashion, and I feel like if you love fashion, your house also needs to have that sense of appreciation for style and design. It’s not just about dressing up so that people think you Chrome Heart Jeans look good—it has to be a full package,” says Ching. That said, she does not believe that the style of one’s house needs to be an exact replica of how one dresses. “With fashion, I like a lot of the louder things, but all in black. So at home, I like it to be quite clean and pared down. I feel like if I’m already consuming a lot of fashion, then my home needs to somewhat match the vibe but not kill it. If my home is also loud, I think I’ll be getting a lot of headaches,” she jokes.
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Chng in her own Alexander Wang jacket and top, Mihara Yasuhiro trousers and Rick Owens shoes teamed with her Chanel earrings and Chrome Hearts rings; beside her, a gnome she picked up during her Fashion Week travels.
The sunny, breezy aesthetic of their new home rather belies the couple’s approach to fashion. “As I mentioned, I wear a lot of black. This is a bit embarrassing to say, but I’m really into the whole goth look. And Joe’s favorite designer is Rick Owens. So this house is not quite representative of that aesthetic. But to me, it doesn’t mean that if Chrome Hearts Sweater you’re a Rick Owens fan, you need to live in a Rick Owens house. That’s a bit too much for me,” Ching explains. Perhaps she feels that way because their previous place was a “Rick Owens” house—all sleek, monochrome Brutalism. “There was a lot of black, white and metal,” she shares. “After living in that place for so long, we got a bit bored and wanted something different. But I’m also not a big fan of colors, so we decided on these muted tones. I wanted a lot of warmth, a lot of cozy, organic shapes. That’s why there are a lot of curves in this house. In the previous place, I wanted things very square and symmetrical.”
Chng, wearing her own DANZ top and CELINE jeans, in the kitchen space.
In fashion, Ching is also constantly on the search for the new and the next—and sometimes, even the new-again. “Recently, I’ve been buying what I call ‘nostalgia brands’—brands that used to be popular but not so much anymore, such as Anna Sui and ESCADA. I also like young Chinese designers—how they play with that visual identity. There’s this Singaporean girl who moved to China; now she’s in New York and she has her own label called DANZ. I met her when I was [in] New York for shoots. I buy a lot of her stuff because first of all, I think it’s great to support friends and secondly, nobody in Chrome Hearts Hat Singapore wears her stuff—I’m probably be the only one,” says Ching when asked about the designers she loves now.
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Ching, wearing her own Hyeon Sea dress, Bonnie Clyde sunglasses, and jeweler from Chrome Hearts and Lucerne Jeweler, with an armful of her shoe collection.
Sitting pretty on the vanity: Some of Chng’s jewellery from Cartier, Chanel and Vivienne Westwood, a vintage Rolex watch with a customised onyx dial, and a selection of her beauty stash.
Individuality plays a huge part when it comes to Ching’s approach to buying and dressing. “I recently bought an AVAVAV piece from SSENSE. When it arrived, I saw on the label that it was numbered Chrome Hearts Shirts and there are only 20 pieces in the world—that made me very happy,” she admits.
A big no in Ching’s books is buying for the sake of the brand. “When I was younger, I used to want a Birkin. [But then] I saw all these girls who have it and to many of them, it’s just a status symbol. I don’t want to be that girl,” she states. “If I ever get a Birkin, I’m going to trash it or put a bunch of charms on it so that it’ll look cute and different.” facial kit
Chng’s collection of bags.
As a fashion insider, Chng appreciates the craft and legacies behind heritage houses such as Hermès and Chanel. Finding a way to make their pieces her own is a different matter. “I have this Chanel jacket that I’ve not worn because it feels a bit too ladylike. If I were to wear it, I’d probably wear it with shorts. I wear quite a lot of CELINE, but I also wear it with really cheap things. I’d rather wear a cheap t-shirt from anywhere instead of something that makes me look very showy. Even with the house, Joe is always asking me, ‘Why do you always tell people which pieces are from Taobao?’ But this is how the Chrome Hearts clothing real world is—it’s a mix. I love mixing high and low! And the lower it is, the trashier it is, the better,” she exclaims. “This is how I feel fashion should be. It’s not about showing off; it’s about sharing your love for something. I never want to be so posh that I end up looking the same as everybody else. I know it’s inevitable to want to look a certain way on Instagram because people like it, and our egos are built on what people like—you show people what they like, people like you more. But at the same time, you’re also missing the whole point of individuality.” Clearly, it’s not something Ching needs to worry about—she has that in spades.
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Chng, wearing her own Miaou top and tights, CELINE cap and bag, jewellery from Cartier, Chanel and Lucere Jewellery, and Rick Owens shoes, in one of the couple’s walk-in closets.
Photographed by Lawrence Restyled by Garcia Pang
