In This Chinatown Antiques Shop, a Father and Son Give Old Objects New Light

At East Inspirations, a damaged antique is not necessarily something to discard. For 72-year-old Cheong Poh Kwai, known as PK, it can become a table lamp and gain a second life.

PK opened the antiques and lifestyle shop in 1993 and now runs it with his 37-year-old son, Jacob, who joined the business about a decade ago. Their shophouse on Singapore’s South Bridge Road is filled with Chinese porcelain, antique furniture, decorative objects, teaware and vintage household items. It also sells Peranakan- and Singapore-inspired souvenirs for visitors to Chinatown.

The shop’s lamps are among its most distinctive creations. PK designs one-of-a-kind pieces from repurposed antique porcelain and unexpected objects. One favorite incorporates two biscuit moulds once used by his mother. A fish on one mould represents the Chinese phrase “nian nian you yu,” meaning “may you have abundance every year,” while a lotus on the other symbolizes many children and grandchildren.

For PK, the lamps preserve more than the objects themselves. “The first aim is to give it another life, and the second is to pass the tradition on,” he said.

His interest in lamp-making began with his first job. After National Service, he worked as a machinist at a table-lamp factory in the 1970s, where he learned how lamp bases and shades were made. In 1981, he started a table-lamp company with his wife and friends. Today, PK keeps a personal corner at the back of the shop, while Jacob runs a tearoom filled with teaware and tea leaves and leads tea appreciation sessions.

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The first aim is to give it another life, and the second is to pass the tradition on.