Figurine collector San Nair’s home is filled with beautiful pieces from yesteryear.
E VERY little girl longs for pretty things, and San Nair was no different. However, while some girls grow out of it, she did not.
Collecting figurines became a lifelong passion for San.
Today, her whole house is filled with beautiful objects, combining the old and the new.
“The past has a strong pull on our lives, and we want to hold on to it. Many of us collect items or any token from the past. Presentday items sometimes lack the intricacies, and that’s what makes us collectors of old items,” says the former English teacher, as she shows me around her home.
As a child, San started collecting coloured rubber bands, glass marbles, stamps, and she admired her mother’s pretty objects. When the blue-and-white ceramic craze started, San jumped on the bandwagon and began acquiring them, one piece at a time.
Part of her collection comes from the family heirloom as her mum was a collector, too. Some of her siblings also share the same passion, and they’d often source for things for her.
“Whenever we saw items from the bygone era, we’d picked them up. My older sister and her husband would call and ask if I wanted a certain item because they wanted to upgrade theirs, so I’d say yes, and that’s how I accumulated things,” reveals San.
In the beginning, San purchased mostly Malay, Chinese and Indian pieces. Slowly, she sought things outside Malaysia. Whenever she went on holidays abroad, Sann would seek out antiques and figurines.
What started as a hobby then became a passion, especially when she firstt set up home. Initially, as San’s passion began to fill up every nook and corner of the house, her hubby turned around and quipped: “One more piece, and I’m going to have a bonfire outside!”
“The more I acquired, the more I wanted!wanted!” San