“Pieces you might acquire through different phases of life add stories to the space you live in,” believe Daniel Chew and Rebecca Ting, founders of the fashion brand Beyond The Vines. Design Stories had the pleasure to meet the family in their home in Singapore.
BEYOND THE VINES is a Singaporean fashion brand established in 2015 by the husband-and-wife duo Daniel Chew and Rebecca Ting. Daniel works as the brand’s CEO and Rebecca as Creative Director. The homegrown label was established with the belief of making good design accessible to all.
In this story, Daniel and Rebecca share with us some of their most meaningful objects and tell the stories behind each.
Vitra: Toolbox
“For a home with young children, Vitra’s Toolbox works well as a handy and light organization caddy for them. Our boys learned to tidy their stationeries with theirs, which have slowly become their own pick-up-your-mess toolboxes!
We also have a few other Vitra toolboxes placed around our home. Each is used for a different practical purpose. Located next to our living room console, our pink Toolbox houses our TV remotes, while our orange Toolbox placed near the shoe cabinet is used to hold our clean socks. It is a portable and fun container that fits well in any space while bringing a pop of color to it!”
• Vitra’s Toolbox >
Vitra: Petite Potence wall lamp
“We had always loved Jean Prouvé’s works but never came across a suitable piece till 2020. We found our current Petite Potence wall lamp at a vintage store, in great condition except for some scuffs and chips. The lamp is placed in a corner of our home that sits between our dining room and balcony. We love that it can be swiveled around, making it possible to direct the light indoors or outside.
Whilst we wished we knew more of its history from its previous owners, it's nice to know that this piece of Prouvé now has a new chapter with us and our new home.”
• Vitra’s Petite Potence wall lamp >
&Tradition: Flowerpot VP1 pendant
“Akin to Verner Panton’s approach to objects from a color perspective, color plays a huge part in how we run our studio and how we perceive design in general.
Panton’s Flowerpot VP1 pendant lights were the first pieces of furniture that we purchased when we moved into our new home in January 2022. We loved that the Flowerpot pendants are bold as a statement piece yet simple in construction – a philosophy we believe in too!”
• &Tradition’s Flowerpot VP1 pendant >
Vitra: Eames Lounge Chair
“Our Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman have been with us for nearly 10 years. It was the first piece of furniture we owned as a couple. It is, in fact, older than our marriage!
Good design is very much intertwined with how we live our lives and our interests as a family unit. As our boys get older, we get to enjoy relaxing on the lounge chair together. We don’t see the Eames Lounge Chair as furnishing, to be honest. It’s been with us through many homes and cycles in our lives, becoming almost a part of the family.”
• Vitra’s Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman >
HAY: PC Portable table lamp
“The beauty of Danish design has so much to do with bridging the aesthetics and functionalities of human nature. We picked out the PC Portable lamp primarily for our kids – the practicalities of a wireless lamp made from a durable material and the freshness in its color blocking!”
• HAY’s PC Portable table lamp >
With a background in fashion, is there any personal design philosophy that has steered both of you toward selecting the furniture in your home?
Rebecca: “We believe design does not just come from a keen eye but also an open heart. As we travel, we look to bring back with us something that reminds us of the places we visited at that time of our lives. One of our favorites has to be a work by David Hockney that reminds us of the wonderful time we had as a family in LA.”
Daniel: “We like to buy pieces to add to our home that represent that certain time in our life. We prefer to see them as pieces we can tell stories with and also leave behind for our kids when the time comes.”
“We believe design does not just come from a keen eye but also an open heart.”
From a fashion and design perspective, are there any home styling tips you would like to share?
Rebecca: “A home needs to be built for its dwellers. Find pieces of furniture and objects that support your way of life and reflect your personality best.
Start with your largest pieces of furniture and spaces in your home where conversations happen the most. We prefer not to buy all our pieces at a go. We like an added-on approach. Pieces you might acquire through different phases of life. Together, they add stories to the space you live in. It just feels more meaningful.”
Daniel: “The same goes for your wardrobe, too!”
If you would have to pick one meaningful object for our readers to add to their homes, what would it be?
Rebecca: “The Fatboy bean bag is a must-have for every home with young kids. We love its durability and mobility within the house – it adds a great texture to the aesthetic and is great for both kids and adults. This bean bag has very quickly become a punching bag for our two young boys, giving them quite a workout! We also love the Fatboy brand for its humoristic point of view yet still with a strong design sensibility.”
Daniel: “The Eames Lounge Chair is my favorite. The design, construction, and how intuitive it is to the body make it a legend on its own. Objects don’t get made like that anymore.”
Lastly, how would you describe your perfect home?
Rebecca: “A home that would transcend the multiple seasons in our lives. A home that gets passed on through generations and stories collected over time, best represents what we perceive will be our perfect home.”
Daniel: “The perfect home doesn’t exist, it needs to be constantly built upon. Just like relationships need to be intentionally grown, likewise for furniture in the home.”
Get inspired
Co chair
PC Portable table lamp
Toolbox
Door mat
Eames Lounge Chair
Flowerpot pendant
Eames elephant
Pantop pendant
See also:
• Follow @danielgchew and @r_beccating on Instagram >
• New arrivals at Finnish Design Shop >
Text: Melissa Tsang Images: Khoo Guo Jie