Interview by Anis Taufik | Photo by Hizwan Hamid
Possibly one of the trendiest interior decorating companies in Kuala Lumpur, Tatum Company offers clients a great range of European designs. Here, the company’s director talks about her experiences setting up shop in Malaysia
WHO ARE YOU?
Name: Gerardine Loggere
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Director/interior decorator, Tatum Company
Time in Malaysia: Three years
GERARDINE ON…
THE SWITCH FROM FASHION TO INTERIORS
I’m a freak with fabrics. When I was a child, I took sheets from my mother’s wardrobe and coloured them in the washing machine to make my first dresses.
When I was 15, I bought a magazine with sewing patterns to make very cool jackets. I went to a fashion school in Amsterdam for four years and worked in the fashion industry, making couture dresses.
But there came a moment in my life when I had to change something. That’s when I joined my sister in her company, Loggere Wilpower, a trading house for fabrics and materials in the Benelux. That was just the beginning of my foray into interior decorating.
TATUM’S COMPANY BIG DAY
It was such a special moment when our first container arrived. Asian Tigers Mobility came with their yellow lorries and brought out the first big console—it was amazing. There were between 12 and 16 movers and they carried all our things in.
We had this giant planter that couldn’t get through the main doors. So five of the men had to carry the planter up the streets and go around the shop lot to bring it in through the back door. I really felt such happiness the first weekend the chairs were here too.
We opened our doors in September 2012 and we made a flying start. In that very first month, we got three very big clients. We were not ready for it and we made so many mistakes—we didn’t even know how to send an invoice! We didn’t do it for free, but we did lose some money in the beginning.
Sometimes, I come home and think, wow—this is fantastic. It’s an adventure to start a company in the opposite part of the world and to work in a completely different culture. It’s a challenge, but I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity in my life.
THE MALAYSIAN MARKET
The clients we work with are looking for something different. They really want a European look and feel. They bring interior magazines from England or Italy, and most of them have travelled before.
They’re usually building their first big house and are exploring ideas of what they can do. I always show them what they can do with wallpapers and fabrics, and how to make a nice mix with all the colours.
Sometimes, if the fabric is a bit costly, I tell them, “With only one metre, you can have two beautiful cushions at a very small price.”
THE TATUM TREATMENT
You have to be there yourself to greet clients when they walk in. This is something important because the owner is the face of the company. If it’s not possible, you have your team to rely on.
They have to know your clients well and do it the same way. You have to treat your clients well—they really have to be your VIPs.
