Listen in as we chat with the dynamic Chloe, in their beautifully appointed showroom, about the birth of their store, design ethos, working together, and being in the River Valley neighbourhood.
There’s no denying that Chloe Elkerton and Elizabeth Acland have great taste – but it’s no surprise given that transforming living spaces from blah to beautiful is all in a day’s work for the founders of E&A Interiors.
Tell us the story behind E&A Interiors.
We were both working on projects in Singapore and felt increasingly frustrated by the lack of unique fabrics and wallpapers in Asia. Elizabeth had close connections with boutique fabric suppliers in the UK and New York, while I have experience of designing homes in Asia. We decided to join forces and E&A Interiors was born!
What’s E&A Interiors’ design ethos?
We believe in mixing the old with the new: combining vintage finds with cool prints and pared-down linens with touches of metallic and luxe finishes. We’re both big on textiles – especially printed linens – and we have a huge library of fabrics. This allows us to give clients an original and tailored look for their homes.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Blogs such as Habitually Chic, magazines like Lonny, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, and design books by Kit Kemp and Steven Gambrel are our constant source of inspiration. We go back to London in September for the Design Week to keep our fingers firmly on the design pulse, and read local interiors press to keep us up to speed on what’s happening in Asia. We’re looking forward to Indesign Singapore in October!
Your showroom is gorgeous! What do you like about the neighbourhood?
Thank you! The River Valley area has become a real hub, it’s close to the city, and many of our clients live close by – so setting up shop here made perfect sense. And when we discovered the Herencia, an old school building on Kim Yam Road, we both knew it was the right place.
For neighbourhood gems, we have our eye on the new Super Loco at Robertson Quay for after-work margaritas and tacos. Common Man Coffee Roasters has the best coffee in town and PS Café is a must for grabbing a lunchtime salad and muffin.
‘Fess up: have the two of you ever butted heads over work?
Butted heads? Hmm… I think the only thing we have seriously argued over was the size of goodie bags for the launch! We both have a very similar outlook and vision for E&A, but we also bring different strengths to the business.
Between the two of you, who has better taste?
Well, Elizabeth is obsessed with leopard print, whereas I’m a houndstooth girl. You decide.
What’s next for E&A Interiors?
It’s been an amazing year so far and we are both working on renovation projects that will take us to the end of the year. 2015? Growing the design team, developing our fabric sales into Hong Kong and Indonesia, and hopefully seeing our amazing fabrics used in homes and hotels across Asia.
Thanks for having us, Chloe!
E&A Interiors, #04-24, 46 Kim Yam Road, p. 6702 4850, e. [email protected]
All images contributed by Nicola McMahon of Bright Star Photography.