My favourite furniture piece in the house – a simple and elegant TV console table. We customize furniture pieces. Just let us have your ideas, dimensions, and we can get one that is uniquely yours and treasured by all in the family. Here are other furniture pieces we have done for our customers.
TV Console Table
Mirror with Cherry Blossom Embellishments
Posted in:
Home Style » Hospitality Style
A cherry blossom is the name for the flower of cherry trees known as Sakura. In English, the word “sakura” is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry. The Cherry Blossom is a symbol of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring – a new beginning. The blossoms’ transience, the extreme beauty and quick demise, is an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life.
Our Cherry Blossom collection has captured the fleeting beauty of this symbol. In every piece, we have strived to reflect life’s beauty and wonders as symbolised by the Cherry Blossom, which our craftsmen had successfully infused into the collection.
Click here to view the full Cherry Blossom collection, which consists of small souvenir items like trinket boxes and decorative home products to furniture pieces like lamps and furniture.
Posted in:
Brex News » Corporate Gifts & Premiums » Gift Ideas » Home Style » Personal Gifts » Seasonal Gifts
Have you ever wondered whether the bird, Phoenix, is a fact or fiction?
Well, basically, a phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1,000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites, both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self.
Sounds interesting doesn’t it! This inspired me to do up an entire collection of the Phoenix.
Posted in:
Home Style » Personal Gifts
I have just spent the weekend helping Shangri-La Hotel do the setup of the public toilets. This is the result. Take the cue from a five-star hotel and make your bathroom at home just as elegant and inviting.
Posted in:
Brex News » Customer Story » Home Style » Hospitality Style
I love hosting dinners! Hosting is something that our entire family enjoys all year round, and getting pieces that will make my table look exquisite and unique really excites me. With our tableware that is created by artists who are designing more than just a plate to eat on, every piece has been designed to make a lasting impression on the guest at your dinner party. They are something that will instantly bring a smile to the face of the hostess and the guest at a formal or informal gathering. They add pizazz and inspiration to any tabletop!
Posted in:
Customer Story » Home Style
Cherry Blossom Adrift
Pink petals passing, Scents above so high
Painted porcelain perfection, Blossoms caress the sky
Swaying silent shroud, Suitors strolling by
Pink petals passing, Lover’s gentle sigh
Pastel hues falling, Slow fluttering grace
Pink petals passing, Lining streams in lace
Pink petals passing, Smoothest transit by
Soft essence floating, In most subtle lullaby
Inducing springtime slumber, Upon a satin shore
Sailing with the current, Pink petals pass before
Mary Fumento 1999Taken in Tokyo in March 2008.
Cherry blossom is the name for the flower of cherry trees known otherwise as, Sakura and they are indigenous to several countries such as Japan, Korea and China. This flower has a very significant meaning to Japan. It symbolizes clouds due to their nature of blooming and they are also an enduring metaphor of life which is an aspect of the Japanese culture that is associated to the Buddha teachings. Most importantly, to the Japanese, cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring.
I fell in love with these flowers the moment I saw them in Japan and I was determined to come up with an entire collection on its own. I can’t find any words to describe how much I love them and as I’m writing this, I’m imagining myself lying under these flowers enjoying the gorgeous view.
One word to describe, “beautiful”!.
Here are some of the lacquered products I have designed according to the theme and I am proud to say that this is one of the collection that is the best selling, yet!
Posted in:
Home Style » Personal Gifts
Pondering over the perfect gift to give your foreign business partner? I would suggest the most suitable corporate gift for them has to be something that is related to Singapore so as to leave a deep impression.
What else other than our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim!
Have you ever wondered how did the Orchid become our national flower? It all started with a lady named, Agnes Joaquim.
“Born in Singapore on 7 April 1854, Agnes was the eldest daughter of Parsick and Urelia Joaquim. Agnes and other family members took a keen interest in horticulture, winning many prizes in the annual flower shows. In April 1899, Agnes showed her hybrid orchid which naturally gained a First Prize. Sadly within three months she was dead having succumbed to illness. Her orchid however, spread like wildfire throughout the tropics and became very popular in Hawaii. In 1981, the orchid was chosen as the national flower of Singapore.” – Extracted from Wikipedia
With this, the orchid – Vanda Miss Joaquim, has a very significant value and meaning to Singapore as it represents our country, thus, I believe it would be significant as a gift to your corporate business partners, especially if they are from other countries. They will not only bring back just simply a gift, but also a piece of Singapore back with them.
Here are some of Qua’s desk collection that I would recommend as a gift to your foreign business partners!
Posted in:
Corporate Gifts & Premiums » Ettiquette » Home Style
Attending a wedding dinner of a Peranakan couple with a Peranakan-theme marriage? Stressing out on what kind of wedding gifts would be most appropriate? Well, this happened to me as I was stressing over what kind of gifts to get for my girlfriend who happens to be a Peranakan.
Well, fret not as Qua is here to your rescue! We offer a variety of beautiful Peranakan products that are suitable and elegant for a wedding gift.
Above: Tiffin Box
Click here to view the rest of the Peranakan collection
Before attending your friend’s wedding, I suggest you have some understanding about the culture of Peranakan wedding!
The wedding ceremony of the Peranakan is largely based on Chinese tradition and you can say that it is one of the most colorful wedding ceremonies in Malaysia and Singapore. At the weddings, the song “Dondang Sayang” is well known by all and it will normally be played during the ceremony. It is a Malay song with a beautiful rhythm and they are danced by guests at the wedding party. Someone would first begin the dance with a romantic theme which would be carried on by others, each taking the floor in turn, dancing in slow motions as they sang. It requires quick wit and often creates laughter and applause when a particularly clever or witty phrase is sung by the guests.
So be spontaneous and do not be afraid to dance along if Dondang Sayang were to be played during the wedding ceremony!
Posted in:
Customer Story » Ettiquette » Home Style » Personal Gifts
Now that you have a better understanding of the history of Peranakans in the previous blog post, I believe it’s time for you to know about their unique food cuisine they have as well!
Peranakan, otherwise, also known as Nonya cuisine combines Chinese and Malay into a unique blend. Nonya cooking is the result of blending Chinese ingredients and wok cooking techniques with spices used by the Malay/Indonesian community. The food is tangy, aromatic, spicy and has a tinge of herbal in them. Key ingredients include coconut milk, galangal, candlenuts as both a flavoring and thickening agent, llaksa leaf, pandan leaves, belachan, tamarind juice, lemongrass, torch ginger bud, jicama, fragrant kaffir leaf, rice or egg noodles and cincaluk which is a powerfully flavored, sour and salty shrimp-based condiment that is typically mixed with lime juice, chillies and shallots and eaten with rice, fried fish and other side dishes.), Inchi Kabin (a Nyonya version of fried chicken) and Pindang bandeng (a fish soup served commonly during Chinese New Year).
Chicken Kapitan
Some of the well know Peranakan dishes are Chicken Kapitan (a dry chicken curry
Having said that, what beats having matching dining ware served with Peranakan cuisine! These are some of the items that can be found from the Peranakan collection, be one of them to own a piece of these beautifully lacquered products.
Above: Tray with Peony painting
Posted in:
Home Style
I believe the term, Peranakan rings a bell as recently, there was a popular local drama series about the lifestyle of Peranakans which has just been broadcasted on television and has received many positive responses. Well, here’s some information for all you readers to have a deeper understanding of the history of Peranakans.
Peranakans are the descendants of late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants to the Nusantra region during the Colonial era. According to a legend back then, the Emperor of China sent a princess to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute to them. Those that followed along with the princess were a group of royalty and servants, who first settled down in Bukit Cina and eventually grew into a class of Straits-born Chinese which is now known as the Peranakans.
Due to economic hardships suffered by them in China, many Peranakans mainly immigrated to 3 different countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Those that embraced the local customs, while still retaining some parts of their culture are known as the Peranakans. Peranakans normally have a certain degree of royal blood as during the period of imperial China, most immigrants were men who married local women. Peranakans at Indonesia, held a higher degree of royal blood as they are almost physically different from the local population. For example, Peranakans are very fair as compared to local Indonesians who have a copper tan.
After reading the above, I hope you get a deeper understanding of the origin of Peranakans and for those who are looking for products that are related to this culture, fret not! At Qua, we have lacquerware products with unique Peranakan paintings painted beautifully on it.
Posted in:
Home Style » Personal Gifts
