Tze + Claire
Name. Tze Chun
Child. Claire
Location. Brooklyn, NY
Occupation. Founder and CEO, Uprise Art
Instagram. @tzechengchun @uprisenyc
What was your priority when creating your nursery space?
I wanted to find a balance of color and calm. I kept the walls bright and the furniture neutral so that Claire's toys and books (and art!) could take center stage.
How do you create the perfect sleeping environment for your child?
Claire's bed is a mini-crib from Babyletto and the perfect size for a NYC apartment. The blackout shades are made in Istanbul and from my friend's company Mesken. The pattern and fabric keeps the shades looking lightweight and airy, and they still do a great job keeping all the light out during nap time.
How did you choose the artwork?
Most of the artwork I actually collected before Claire was born. Rebeca Raney is a Brooklyn-based artist and friend of ours, and there are a number of works by her throughout the room. She also made Claire a personalized painting on silk, which is such a treasure. At the entrance, there's a M.S.H. (short for Marge Simpson Hair) drawing by Jesse Weiss, which is a fun surprise when the door is closed. The one photograph in the room is a piece by Dolly Faibyshev titled Chandelier Staircase, which reminds me of the colors in Wong Kar Wai's film In the Mood for Love and will hopefully inspire Claire to love retro. There are also gifts from artists Eric LoPresti and Kyle Simon as well. They were gifts for me but, as with pretty much everything, it brings me so much joy to share them with Claire!
Were there any works you selected specifically for the nursery?
The statement piece is a painting titled Mother by LA-based artist Adrian Kay Wong. He's Chinese-American and the painting depicts his own mother wearing socks inside the house rather than shoes. I fell in love with the painting when our gallery included the piece in Adrian's solo-show earlier this year. It reminds me of my mother and hopefully the piece will have a special meaning to Claire later on as well.
