A Fashionable Life: Kisa Harrison's Tastefully Furnished Home Is A Cosy Space With Showroom Sensibilities

Minimal yet not austere; elegant with ample warmth.

By Azhar Rahim - published 24 Mar 2023

After Kisa Harrison gave birth to her son five years ago, she knew that the family would eventually need to find a new home. At that time, they were living in a three-bedroom apartment in High Street Centre, in the same building where the office-cum-furniture showroom of luxury furniture label, Christopher Guy was located. The company was founded by her late husband, British furniture design master Christopher Guy Harrison, and it is known for its contemporary, elegant furniture featured in movies such as Casino Royale and The Devil Wears Prada, as well as the patented Chris-X (pronounced as ‘Chris Cross’) design on the legs that was inspired by a ballerina’s pose.

“To be honest, I like living in a high-rise apartment building,” says the Shanghai-born Harrison, 34. “But it was difficult with a toddler. He was at the age where he had started crawling and attempting to climb everything. I felt that we needed to move to a home that would allow him to do that without it being dangerous.” It did not take long for them to find a new home in a ground floor apartment in a luxury condominium complex a stone’s throw away from Orchard Road. “I liked that the location is very central, and yet the estate itself is pretty quiet and peaceful,” she says.

Stepping into the apartment is like walking into a contemporary furniture showroom. Not that it is a surprise, considering Harrison has taken over the reins of her late husband’s furniture company since his passing from cancer in 2020. Set against a chic base palette of cream, wood and white, and accented with pops of colour with standalone furniture and artworks that dot the walls of the 3,600sqft four-bedroom space, the apartment is tastefully furnished with Christopher Guy furniture and decorative pieces. “It was definitely a plus that we have our own furniture design company,” says the soft-spoken Harrison. “And because we do decorative pieces as well, it was easy to turn the space into a cosy home.”

There are two entrances to the home. One is the formal main entrance, and beside it is a private elevator access that takes you to and from the basement car park, and opens straight into the formal living room. Separating the entrances from the rest of the house is a three-panel floor screen, which not only provides some privacy, but also instantly creates an informal foyer. The formal living room itself is spacious and bright, thanks to the sliding glass doors that open to an L-shaped outdoor courtyard. A large coffee table sits in the centre of the room, anchoring the space that is furnished with a plush four-seater cream-coloured sofa, standalone armchairs in plum, as well as one of her favourite pieces—a high-back chair called the Le Jardin, which features camellias carved out of solid mahogany. “I love the detailed carving of the flowers as it shows the artisanal craftsmanship of Christopher Guy,” she says. Most of the brand’s furniture are manufactured or handcrafted by trained artisans in the company’s workshop located in central Java, in Indonesia.

Outside, Harrison had turned one of the outdoor courtyards into a garden of sorts, with a feature wall of plants and flowers she designed herself. She explains: “The area is rather small so I settled for a vertical plant wall, which I think works better for the space.” The courtyard is still wide enough for Harrison to place a life-sized polar bear sculpture. It is a reproduction of the famous Polar Bear sculpture by French artist François Pompon, which is on display at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France. Made from resin, the sculpture has been the star of many of her family photos, especially during festive season. Last Christmas, she recalls, they moved the bear inside and placed it by the Christmas tree for a white Christmas vibe. “The courtyard is sheltered, so my son plays here as well. He likes to be outdoors, while I am more of a homebody and like staying in a lot.”

Harrison leads us to the dining area, which is flanked by an open concept kitchen on one side, and an informal lounge on the other, where Harrison spends most of her time when she is at home. She points out an art piece that hangs on the wall of the lounge, a limited edition wall art of preserved Amazonian butterflies by renowned American visual artist, Christopher Marley. “I saw this in an exhibition a couple of years ago, and bought it at an auction. There are only 10 pieces of this particular artwork in the world,” she shares. “I love butterflies because they are fragile and very beautiful but also symbolise transformation.” Indeed, Harrison has gone through her own metamorphosis in the last two years, stepping into the role of chief executive officer of Christopher Guy and continuing her husband’s legacy.

Harrison usually starts her day at about 7.30am, when her son wakes up. “My first meeting is usually about 9.30 in the morning. I spend time with my son before that, and have breakfast with him before he goes to school. Then I get ready for work.” There is no television in the apartment. Instead, Harrison reads to her son, or plays puzzles to keep him occupied. And when her son goes to bed at night, that is when her ‘me time’ begins. “I like to just chill and listen to music while I decompress from a long day at work and attending events,” she says.

She also likes to spend her time in the lounge for self-reflection, sometimes flipping through books to find inspiration for the brand’s next collection. “There are many things to think about, you know?” she shares, looking quite solemn. “Sometimes, when I feel a bit lost, like when you’re looking for a light switch in the dark, that is when I know I need my ‘me time’ to recalibrate. Once you find that light switch, you are motivated again because everything becomes clear.”

One of the things she enjoys doing in her free time is making her own candles, which she fashions out of empty wine bottles. “I have a collection of good wine bottles, and some are rare and vintage. When they’re empty, I get the tops cut off and smoothened, then pour in the candle wax. They make great gifts for my friends.” Her love for wines began when she lived in Dijon about 15 years ago. "It is not far from the city of Burgundy, and that was where I was introduced to wine," she says. And while she does enjoy other vintages, her favourite is still Burgundy wines. "There are other nice wines from other regions, and they are all interesting, but for me, nothing comes close to a Burgundy." She shares that her favourite Burgundy wines are those from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, commonly abbreviated to DRC and known to be some of the most expensive wines in the world, as they have a distinctive taste and intense aroma.

Harrison shows us her master bedroom, with its king-size bed frame from Christopher Guy. Called the No. 5 Nuit, the headboard design, a pattern featuring interlocking uphoistered panels mounted in wooden frames, was inspired by the mirror that her late husband had designed for the French luxury house's Chanel N°5 commercial.

Not surprising then that one of Harrison's favourite brands is Chanel. While she loves brands like Solace London, Oscar de la Renta, Hermès and Balmain, she says that Chanel is her go-to brand of choice, especially when she is getting dressed for work, adding that it is a label she admires because “its classic designs are both contemporary and timeless”. But she also enjoys discovering emerging brands, like the Australian label Common Hours. She has since become good friends with the designer and founder, Amber Symond, whom she calls her “spiritual sister”. One of her favourite pieces from the label, and her latest buy, is a chartreuse kimono-style overcoat. “Honestly, it is like a piece of artwork, and her designs are always a conversation starter. I can imagine myself wearing this in London during winter over a dress and a pair of nice stockings.”

When asked to describe her sense of style, Harrison finds herself at a loss for words. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she says that it is difficult to describe it because how she dresses “really depends on the occasion and situation”. But, just like the designs from Christopher Guy, she often finds herself veering towards elegant pieces that have an edge, and tell a story. As she puts it: “I like classic, quiet luxury designs that rebel subtly against the norm, by way of a loud colour for instance. The company’s slogan has always been elegance with an edge, and I think that is how I approach fashion as well.”

Photographed by Phyllicia Wang
Styled by Gracia Phang

A Fashionable Life: Kisa Harrison's Tastefully Furnished Home Is A Cosy Space With Showroom Sensibilities

A Fashionable Life: Kisa Harrison's Tastefully Furnished Home Is A Cosy Space With Showroom Sensibilities

By Azhar Rahim - published 24 Mar 2023

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