It can easily be mistaken as a teenager’s den or an art museum. But for Bigboy, his house is more than just a place to store valuable memorabilia and paraphernalia, his home showcases thousands of stories and memories close to Bigboy Cheng’s heart. “Toys and sneakers have been my passion since I was 6 years old,” Bigboy Cheng points out.
The house was built 11 years ago and BigboyCheng invited interior designer Cai Lim-Regala to renovate the entire home and make sure all of Bigboy Cheng’s pieces found a space of their own. “When I get home I want my stuff to be presented in a visually satisfying way,” he points out.
In the foyer, a conveyor belt of Bigboy Cheng’s shoes was installed, inspired by the Bape store in Japan. Yes, it moves and displays the shoes as you enter the home. It is a preview of what you can expect from the home, it’s eclectic, loud, and luxurious in its own way. While one might think that the house is simply for Bigboy’s enjoyment, it’s actually for everyone who steps in the house. “I like it when people appreciate the things they see here,” he adds. A small room adjacent to the foyer expresses his appreciation for visitors. Aptyl called the ‘Graffiti Room’, the walls are painted and doodled on by several of his street artist friends. Here, guest are free to do whatever they want, even leave their own mark on the wall if they wish so.
While most houses love to bathe in natural light, this house had to be kept from it because, sunlight can age and deteriorate Bigboy Cheng’s toys and artworks, except in the dining room. It is lovely attempt at bringing the outdoors in, just look at the planters overhead the dining table!
“I have a thousand shoes in here and I know every story behind them,” shares Bigboy Cheng. Among his shoe collection are your regular Yeezey editions, Jordan sneakers, and Nike’s auto-lace shoes worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
During his free time BigBoy Cheng DJs, so he had a DJ’s booth place in the corner of the sneaker room.
In the dining room, there is a customized food truck hotdog cart is displayed, making it look like the dining room is a food park! Another intriguing piece in the house is the Lourdes Snack sign that is almost 30-years old! “When I asked the person meaning the store how much they wanted for the sign, they were suspicious and they had no intention of selling their business,” Cai shares with a laugh. “But when they heard how much we were offering for the signage, they quickly accepted!”
The main gallery used to be the indoor theatre, which the family only used once. Upon renovation, it now houses works from Secret Fresh. Local artists such as BenCab, Roland Ventura, and Jigger Cruz, as well as foreign ones who designed toys for Secret Fresh are in there. Mounted on the walls are two massive paintings by Cruz and Egg Fiasco, who painted over rows of white sneakers. An orange SixInch Cliffy 4000 serves as a seat and a
In the second floor landing, there’s more toys in display. Big boy cites that he is still dissatisfied with his house, the reason being he keeps on rearranging the vignettes around and his collection keeps growing with the number of toys he has.
Standing guard in the master bedroom is a life-sized LeBron James by Korean artist Coolrain Lee. A Mark Barretto painting hangs in the bedroom to give it a bit of color.
The guest bedroom is an art gallery, decked with Bape and Supreme items and Joan Cornella paintings.
He shares that this home is not only for himself, above all it is for his family. “They’re free to wear any of the sneakers and play with any toy they want,” the collector points out. With the help of Cai and her design team, Bigboy made sure his renovated house would provide wonderful memories for everyone who steps through its doors.
This story first appeared on MyHome May 2018, edits have been made for MyHome.OneMega.com
