Lena Koh was born in Singapore, but life has taken her across the world. “I have lived in seven cities,” said Koh, who opened the stained glass-panelled pintu pagar of her Mount Sophia shophouse one morning. The home bears traces of those globetrotting influences, from her curated art collection and Chinese artefacts to her Danish furniture and lighting pieces – all reflecting her eye for proportion, colour and composition.Earlier in her career, Koh worked in public relations, advertising, events and business development around the region. She spent much of the past few decades in Beijing, where she raised her children while pursuing various creative projects.“My interest in art started in 2013 as a point of connection with my three children, who are in the arts field,” said Koh, who later attended a docent-training programme with Singapore Art Museum in 2014 and became a guide for contemporary art. She also visits biennales around the world with friends “to expand our horizon”.
Koh was first drawn to shophouses by their skylights, shuttered windows, ornate balconies and high ceilings – features that gave them a sense of light, air and volume. (Photo: Wong Wei Liang)
She is a docent with Friends of the Museums Singapore and guides tours on the Bukit Pasoh Chinatown Trail, the Kampong Glam Trail and at the Malay Heritage Centre. “Guiding art has enriched my life by forcing me to think critically and offering different perspectives of the world. Art is the catalyst for interesting conversations,” said Koh, whose influences range from traditional practices to art shaped by technology.Her house has become a canvas for this passion. Koh first became enamoured with shophouses in 1991, after visiting a gallery cafe in a shophouse along Heeren Street in Melaka. “I was particularly drawn to the skylight, which created a restful space with both light and air,” she recalled. She was also taken by the 19th-century architectural details, including shuttered windows, an ornate balcony and high ceilings.
