Viral TikTok videos from Singaporean architect bring feng shui to new audience
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Viral TikTok videos from Singaporean architect bring feng shui to new audience

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Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Tan has earned millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with his quirky viral videos that feature feng shui tips. (Photo: Instagram/dearmodern)
Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Tan has earned millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with his quirky viral videos that feature feng shui tips. (Photo: Instagram/dearmodern)

SINGAPORE - In 2020, when the world was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cliff Tan entered a quarantine hotel in his native Singapore. At the time, the architect had 50 followers on TikTok.

When he emerged two weeks later, he had more than 100,000 followers on the social media platform. Today, it is about 2.9 million, together with almost 800,000 followers on Instagram (@dearmodern) and 1.6 million YouTube subscribers.

"When I came out of that quarantine hotel room, I was a different person," says Tan via Zoom from London, where he has lived since 2010.

Tan had become a social media sensation, having struck a chord with videos about feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging living and working spaces to promote health and harmony. "The first video I posted was about where to place your bed - it got a few hundred thousand views," he says.

It is not just Tan's advice that resonates with audiences but his rapid-fire style of delivery in short and snappy videos. Many feature sketches of a home's layout with tiny pieces of furniture that he shuffles around to show how to create a happy space. Some will have you in fits of giggles.

Making relatable videos was Tan's mission and he accomplished it, opening a perfectly placed door to the ancient principles of feng shui for a whole new generation.

Today, Tan, whose grandfather - and role model - was a feng shui practitioner in Singapore, runs his own practice, Design Modern, which he founded in 2016. That was after a stint at Heatherwick Studio, the British firm behind the design of the high-end Pacific Place shopping mall in Admiralty in Hong Kong.

Following the overwhelming response to his videos, Design Modern's focus pivoted to feng shui. Now, Tan's virtual consultations are booked out three months in advance.

To show just how wide his reach is, he picks up his laptop to show a map of the world with stars indicating clients' locations. It is an impressive constellation.

The “before” of a Hong Kong flat (the “after” is below) with seemingly no other possible layout. (Photo: Cliff Tan)

The “after” of the flat. “We changed it completely and made the space so much more spacious and natural,” Tan says. (Photo: Cliff Tan)

His Midas Touch continued in 2022 when he released the book Feng Shui Modern, a simple and practical guide showcasing the tools needed for a harmonious home no matter what your budget.

While he is bridging the gap between design and feng shui, Tan says some days he feels more like a therapist.

"You want to create a space that makes you feel good. If you feel positive it gives you the right state of mind, the right mindset," he says.

"And when you feel good, you have confidence - that's when you do amazing things. It is about psychology in that respect."

At the core of feng shui is harmonising energies to facilitate the flow of positive chi (energy) in your home, he says. There is no good nor bad energy, he explains, just whether that energy is good or bad for us.

"A beautiful chandelier is a wonderful thing that symbolises opulence and wealth. Hang it above your head and suddenly it's dangerous."

Everything in your home, he says, has meaning. Even the foliage.

"Plants represent growth so it's good when a plant is green and thriving. The shape of the leaves doesn't want to be aggressive. You could poke your eye so never have a cactus in your home."

Art on the wall, he says, behaves much like signs. "They can direct you, they can dictate how you feel, so ensure that you hang things that make you feel good."

Golden rules in feng shui that should always be followed include never having your feet pointing towards the bedroom door when lying in bed, as this makes you vulnerable, he says. A toilet at an apartment's entrance is also a big no-no.

Little tricks to make a bathroom feel nicer include making your vanity area as wide as possible, mirrored storage and hidden lights.

"Arranging a space is not always to make it as spacious as possible but to make it as functional as possible," Tan says.

@dearmodern Let's make this tiny room feel like. Mini apartment! #smallspace #tinyroom #fengshui #beforevsafter #rentalroom #workingfromhome ♬ original sound - Imaginary Ambition

For DIY procrastinators, Tan has some advice that regularly pops up at the end of his videos: "Fix it."

Tan's top feng shui tips for your flat

How your space feels can affect how you feel, so ensure it supports you in every way, reduce anything that may seem aggressive or overwhelming, and increase things that look beautiful and are uplifting.

Open shelves and storage can seem aggressive not only because of their bladelike structure but because the contents require you to keep them curated and looking tidy and clean at all times. If needed, put signs or labels on closed storage to help you remember where things are.

Naked light bulbs can appear dazzling, sharp and piercing. When it comes to lights, always have lampshades to soften their glow, and ideally use sources of indirect light and sidelights instead of overhead lights.

Clutter can also be another source of pressure and may cause you to feel overwhelmed. To prevent the build-up of clutter, ensure that everything has a home, which makes organising easy and helps you feel like you have control over your surroundings.

Enhance things that make you happy. Art and decorations are a way to add life to a space. Show things that make you happy either by the way they look or the memories that they bring and place them prominently.

Some parts of a room are nicer than others, so identify the activity that you spend most time on and ensure that you do that in the best part of your space.

At the end of the day, you need a good night's rest, so make your bed in the morning and stay away from it until it is time to sleep - this will help you associate it with rest.

Tan founded his own practice, Design Modern, in 2016. (Photo: Cliff Tan)

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