Their stature in life however doesn’t excuse a homeowner for being too gaudy with the choice of showpiece items. Interior designers may give effective advice to help them achieve a certain look, but it is also up to the owner to develop his/her own style – simple, impressive, timeless.

"Showpiece items have become more of a hobby for homeowners," said Allan Wong of Wee Art Gallery and Bali Antiques & Curiosity Shop, a twin-billed store found at the Mall of Asia. "Our clients usually have a certain taste for expensive art pieces and collector’s items which they also treat either as an investment or an heirloom piece."

The store is co-owned by Allan’s father, William Wong, and his friend, Lawrence Daley. While the Wongs handle the artwork collection of Wee Art Gallery, Mr. Daley gets the exciting job of traveling around the world to source items for his curio shop.

Antique items found in the store include Asian treasures like the Thai Buddha – a brass statue painted in gold and previously housed in a temple. This god of Thailand, standing tall at 62 inches, has been resurrected to serve as an interesting accent for indoors or even the garden.

Taras, or similar Asian deity figurines, are also found here, sourced from Malaysia and Singapore. They appear in various poses, from sitting and lying down to standing up and playing a musical instrument.

The Chinthe lion, on the other hand, is a Nepalese guardian lion figure made from brass, adorned with stained glass inlays on its coat.

The store’s collection of more valuable pieces include a 650-year-old stone statue of a Chinese lady garbed in traditional attire, measuring 59 inches in height. The statue, said to have been created during the Ming dynasty, was dedicated to a high-ranking Chinese official, Chung Tai Foo, and is believed to be a rendition of one of his concubines.

"The price of an item is dictated through authentication, but since that process is too expensive, not all of them can be proven to be that old or valuable. But for this statue, which is in very good condition, meaning there are no cracks or damage, we can price it a little higher but not that high because it doesn’t have an authentication. What we can give them is a provenance which states where we got the item," Wong explained.

Another item is the Kuanyin or Lady Buddha in white marble, said to be 700 years old. Another version shows a different rendition of the Kuanyin in wood, with several hands on its body.

Other interesting merchandise include a Mongolian banjo, a marble telephone, a ginger jar, Cambodian solid silver serving bowl set, Thangka, elephant tapestries, a Mandarin Cloisonné Bowl from the 1800s, a coral necklace by Arturo Luz, an ivory box owned by Dr. K. C. Fang (a friend of Chiang Kai Shek), and a scrimshaw of a whale bone which was used as a trading item.

Furniture pieces include a Korean chest drawer and Chinese writing desk and matching chairs, with figures embedded on its body made from animal bones.

Elephant chairs from Thailand meanwhile serve as truly interesting furniture. The 50-year-old chairs were used by noblemen while hunting, strapped on top of an elephant. There are single seaters, placed on top of young elephants, and up to three-seater chairs which could be fitted on top of fully grown beasts.

Locally sourced curio items include a bust of a Filipina made from limestone by sculptor Dr. Ton Raymundo, and a nude relief by Vicaldo. A 200-year-old Chinese jar excavated from Palawan is also for sale, its body bleached by time, but its accent dragon design still visible.

"Most of these items are found as is, meaning there is no or very little restoration," Wong added.

A painting of National Artist Vicente Manansala in water color is displayed prominently on one side of the store, while on the other end of the room is a modern rendition by Marcel Antonio. Other big names from the art world whose work can be found at the gallery: Emmanuel Garibay, portrait artist Caloy Gabuco; Ibarra de la Rosa, Raul Lebajo, William Yu, mix media artist Mario de Rivera; Philip Badon, Oscar Ramos, and Serafin Serna (a student of Amorsolo).

"We recognize that art is not for everybody. It’s only for people with extra money to spend, and who know the value of these items. They know that every piece can be an investment because in a few years’ time, these paintings can be much more expensive especially if the artist becomes famous," Wong said.

Wong added that their family started with making and selling frames in a small space in Virra Mall, Greenhills, in 1994. Eventually though, their frames needed paintings so they carefully chose artworks to display in the store. Incidentally, the paintings attracted more people, along with then unknown artists asking for their work to be displayed in the store. This worked for both parties as the business grew and evolved into a full time gallery.