For A Cut Above’s Winnie Loo, her days are alwaysfilled with activities, from her hairdressing business to rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of high society and industry. However, this affable lady who enjoys her work also enjoys spending time at her 4,000 sq ft Bangsar condo that she bought with husband Richard Teo in 2002. Initially, the couple wanted the property for investment but they soon fell in love with it and made it their new home.

When they bought the space, the couple literally had a blank canvas to work with. They immediately got their favourite interior designer, Jean Soong of Planet Graphic — the same person who designed all the A Cut Above hairdressing salons — to help fill it in.

Renovations took about six months to complete and the brief was simple. “We wanted the apartment to look very neat and compact. We didn’t want people to come and think it was messy,” shares Winnie. A lot of effort and planning went into ensuring this goal was achieved, such as the floor to ceiling shoe cupboards and the office-cum-study area where a vertical sliding panel hides the fax machine, printer and other computer paraphernalia, including the unsightly wires.

On entering the home, visitors will see that the main living area has an open concept demarcated by a glass cabinet displaying an antique clock and several pieces of Chinese porcelain, among others. Off to the right is the balcony, which looks out towards Medan Damansara and a forested area, is one of Winnie’s favourite spots in the house. So is the living room where she spends time watching television with her family. The latter features colourful furniture and cushions, off-white walls and a granite feature wall.

Opposite this cosy space is a room that is separated by a large sheet of glass. It is fitted with a flat screen television set and Winnie’s son Marcus loves playing his console games there when he is back from his studies in Australia.

Most of the furniture in the home was sourced from Space Furniture Singapore as the company had not set up shop in Malaysia when the couple bought the condo. Artemide light fixtures were added to the interior to  complement the furnishings.

In addition, Winnie and her husband have put up several large art pieces in the home that add colour and life to dead walls. An abstract piece hangs in the dining area while a large Chinese painting has pride of place in the second balcony at the back of the condo. Even the washrooms have a bit of art to display. “Art and painting signify life,” opines Winnie.

Although Winnie likes nothing more than to spend time at home, her growing hairdressing empire keeps taking her away. Richard, her life and business partner, takes care of the back office while Winnie busies herself with her many hairdressing appointments and responsibilities as the president of the Asia Hair Design Association and the new ambassador of d’hair shop, a Malaysian hair product brand that was launched last year.

Furthermore, the already busy Winnie is now looking to expand her education business in China.
But hectic schedule or not, Winnie still finds time to relax at home and does it with style.

This article appeared in haven, Issue #36, April + May 2009, the deco and garden publication of The Edge Malaysia