Daniel Boey hates the colour of his house. The façade of the three-storey terrace along East Coast Road is a gaudy shade of blue you’d expect more on a bleached convertible in Miami then in the home of an authority on fashion—but thankfully, the tackiness doesn’t make its way indoors.
Best known for running the women’s and men’s Fashion Weeks here in Singapore, Daniel plies plenty of style and savvy culled from his many years in the industry to deck out his 2,700-square-foot apartment, where the bachelor has been living alone since June this year. The ugly blue, as you might expect, wasn’t his choice.
“Before I moved in, this place was a very nice beige,” Daniel explains. “But then they painted it this ugly shade of blue! It looks like an industrial estate or something. It would be nicer if it were a more neutral colour.”
But inside, the blue fades into clean, muted whites and greys of the living room. A carpet modelled after Japanese rock gardens dominates the area, giving the first floor a Zen-like austerity. But it’s not this minimal all over, Daniel quickly chimes in. Each room is designed differently, with a motley collection of influences and purposes guiding the showrunner.
His bedroom and study, for example, echoes his life in fashion. Inspired by Alexander McQueen’s 2012 Spring/Summer menswear collection, Daniel sought out fabrics with similar prints—voluminous, cheery stripes on white—to make curtains out of, and the candy cane-like results throw another layer of quirkiness to each room.
Not content with his sartorial sagacity, Daniel is as passionate about theatre, art and music, and he draws from them when designing the many eclectic rooms and interiors. The keen-eyed show producer mixes and matches refurbished vintage furniture with classic styles, but is careful to ensure no element works against the other.
In that sense, Daniel approaches his home as a fashion designer would a collection: the individual outfit as room, the entire home as a season’s overall aesthetic. And as he shows us around, spryly gushing about the objects and furniture significant to him, it isn’t hard to see him as the triumphant designer strutting down the catwalk after a show.
“I get inspired by a lot of things,” he quips. “Everything in the house is very modular, so if you come back two years later everything might have changed. I like moving things around.”
 
FOR ART’S SAKE
The vivid oils and pastels of Asian artists liven up all of Daniel’s rooms, including the stairwell. On his bedroom wall is a sprawling Dani ‘King’ Heriyanto piece: a slightly disconcerting portrait that looms over the bed. “They appeal to me more and I understand it a bit more,” Daniel says of his partiality to Asian artists and designers. “And we’ve got to support our own Asians.”
A SOUND DESIGN
Even for the most arcane vinyl junkie, Daniel’s gorgeous retro-futuristic turntable in his bedroom is an uncommon sight. It is as sleek and minimalist as any instrument aboard a 2001: A Space Odyssey ship, and underneath, Daniel keeps a treasure trove of first edition LPs that he picked up over the years.
MID-CENTURY MAGIC
The centrepiece of Daniel’s first floor is his father’s elegant mid-century radio. With its solid build, mahogany finish and pencil legs, the handsome radio won’t look a bit out of place in Don Draper’s den. It still works, but Daniel doesn’t dare touch it in case it starts to fall apart. And yet, he ardently insists he’ll “never sell this!”
TERRACE BAR
Daniel’s favourite room isn’t one per se. It’s the terrace—an uncommon feature in many of the newer properties—on the third floor that Daniel has rendered in a nautical theme. Striped sofas, ship flag cushions and two original Donald Featherstone flamingos litter the area, and a small Hawaii-inspired bar in the adjacent space give the terrace that perfect party vibe.
ROCK OUT
Studies are usually severe places, but Daniel’s lush red one has a definite rock ‘n’ roll feel. With a massive CD rack on one wall, a classic modular shelving system on another and a retro-licious Ball Chair lounging in the centre of the room, the study is arguably the most playful and snazzy of all of Daniel’s rooms. The kicker: Daniel converted what used to be a bathroom into a grunge playground, slathering personal photos, model comp cards and event posters on its four walls.
LIQUID DIET
The kitchen is Daniel’s only unadorned room. “I don’t cook,” he says matter-of-factly before adding, “I only eat.” As such, the kitchen is spick and span—no oil stains, no pots and pans and…no food. All he stocks are scores of bottled root beer and juice in the fridge, and a bowl of potato chip packets on his underpopulated kitchen table.
LOCO FOR LORGAN’S
Throughout the tour, Daniel mentions the name Lorgan’s several times. It’s one of his favourite furniture stores—another being Like That One—where he picks up most of his mismatched furniture from. The store, according to Daniel, sources for the most unique, standout furniture pieces before refurbishing them—perfect for those who prefer their buys to have that bit of character and history about them.
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