Standing among the decorative paraphernalia that makes Timothy Oulton’s Dempsey location so unique, Serene Tan bears her name well—she’s a vision of calm and poise, and is incredibly softly spoken. Such is her gentle manner that it might be assumed that the Singaporean is an easy sell, but when it comes to decorating her home, she gets right to the point.
“I like a contemporary look,” she asserts, before quickly adding that a Scandinavian, pared-back style is not what she means. “I like using darker materials as a base, like leather or mahogany, then I lighten the overall effect with lots of glass and reflective surfaces. It stops the room from feeling too heavy.”
It’s why the British furniture purveyor particularly appeals to her, with its handsome mix of materials, equestrian-inspired features and glamorous accents that creates a luxurious look. Here, we take a look around the store—a place that immediately transports you to a more opulent, bygone era: