Life's Little Treasures: Balik Kampung

Sunday 2 September 2012

Balik Kampung

Most Muslims celebrating Hari Raya, would have made their rounds visiting relatives and friends, feeling that kampong neighbourliness once again. However there is not much of a kampung enclave to return to except maybe to one of Singapore's last kampong (village) in Lorong Buangkok in Hougang. Set in a rural environment, a kampong home gives a feeling of simple laid back rustic life. Fruits trees and chickens running around the yard. Such houses often raised above the ground on stilts and have airy verandahs. It helps to keep the house dry, away from floods and pests. Put together with wooden planks and corrugated zinc for the roof.

Here is a small cosy room filled with love and memories. Look around you see mostly old stuff. The heirloom pieces inherited from grandparents, have become precious keepsakes. The soul of a home are your possessions. Vintages pieces are no longer a cast off. Every piece has a story to tell. Arrange in a nice vignette on your console and side tables. An old gramophone, old iron, old fan, lights, trunk, batik sarongs hang on a bamboo rack may seem like a repository of sorts. Such hand-me-downs can be repaired, restored and reused. Some new furniture nowadays come in distressed wood or recycled wood. Imperfections is charming now. Old walls that cracked and peeling with a rugged patina have suddenly become interesting. Nothing is quite complete without a comfy daybed filled with mismatched cushions to welcomes one to sit on or lounge in.

To experience the nostalgia, simply collect things that are vintage. Collecting fabrics, art and objects reflects a love for artisanal craftsmanship. There is a growing interest in collecting old stuff and have them arranged in a lovely collection. Juxtapose kitsch and quirky memorabilia with modern furniture to go modern retro or new nostalgia. *A note of caution here, excessive collecting will turn you into hoarder. So just get wise and use what you need is more important and put these things to good use.