He opened a pottery studio at a Bedok void deck – now it’s a creative sanctuary for families and seniors
Kevin Chua started Studio SF after his mother’s passing. Now, he holds workshops for people of all ages and even at active ageing centres.
Void decks under HDB blocks often house a convenience store, a barber or a clinic. But somewhere in Bedok South Avenue 3, you'll find something rather unusual – a small pottery studio.
Step inside Studio SF's cosy 19 sq m space and you'll find two pottery wheels, a work table with lots of brushes and paints, and a couple of armchairs. A kiln sits in one corner, while shelves of handmade cups and vases line another. There's jazz music playing – most of the time it's Nat King Cole – and the faint hint of coffee lingers in the air. The place is aglow with warm lighting that feels inviting behind the glass frontage if you happen to pass by.
Studio SF is short for Studio Shun Fu, named after owner Kevin Chua and his wife Vanessa Yong’s Chinese names. Since it opened its doors in Nov 2024, the 46-year-old Chua has turned this tiny HDB kiosk into a small pocket of creativity not just for himself but for the community.
Aside from serving as his own personal pottery studio, he also holds regular workshops for those who want to try their hand at creating something out of clay.
And to think just a couple of years ago, he didn't even consider himself an "artsy person".
IT STARTED WITH A POSTER AND 80 LESSONS
Chua's interest in pottery started during the pandemic. He recalled how he and his wife would often hang out at Nylon Coffee, a cafe in Everton Park. There was a poster that caught their eye – it was of a man holding a vase, with details of a pottery workshop.
He remembered joking that maybe one day, he could do that for a living too. The next thing he knew, his wife bought him a beginner's package of lessons as a birthday gift.
The first ever piece he made was a trinket dish. Though the wheel took some getting used to, he recalled the experience working with clay was deeply therapeutic. “My first lesson, I thought, hey, quite nice. Quite a good feeling,” he shared.
Chua kept going, clocking more than 80 lessons. Eventually, he set up his own studio at home, where he would recall his late mother sitting nearby watching him work.
And it would seem as if the world was trying to tell him something.
During a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2022, the couple stumbled upon a small pottery studio. It was just one pottery wheel, some ceramics on display and a lone woman behind it. When they asked if they could look around, she didn’t say much, just gave a curt nod.
That particular image stuck with him and he later told his wife: I want to open a place just like this.
FROM HOME STUDIO TO VOID DECK AFTER MUM'S PASSING
In Nov 2023, Chua’s mother passed away. It was a moment that deeply affected him as she would always sit on his left, tossing out witty remarks about his clay works.
"I was so emotionally tied to the house. Every time I looked at the space and realised she wasn’t there anymore, I knew I couldn’t go on making pottery at home," said Chua, who decided to sell his flat.
Coincidentally, on the very day it was sold, the Bedok South void deck kiosk came up for bidding. Chua looked at the floor plan and immediately applied and got it.
Studio SF officially opened its doors exactly a year after his mum's passing.
His dream is for Studio SF to be a space where anyone can try their hand at pottery.
"The main goal isn’t to go deep into pottery or create a rigid curriculum,” said Chua. “It’s to let people feel the medium and awaken their creative side.”
Since Chua still holds a full-time job during the day, his workshops are usually conducted in the evenings or on weekends. So far, most attendees have been couples, mother-daughter duos and families. The glass frontage also draws in curious residents who pause to peer in and ask what goes on inside.
For first-timers, workshops typically begin with pinching a small trinket dish – the very same piece Chua made during his own first lesson. Participants then paint it, and he fires it in the kiln. In subsequent sessions, they move on to working on the wheel.
Each session lasts 1.5 hours and costs S$45 for children and S$65 for participants aged 13 and above. As the space was created with the community in mind, neighbourhood residents enjoy a 20 per cent discount.
For seniors over 75, workshops are free. One class he remembers fondly involved a 94-year-old grandfather who arrived reluctantly, saying he couldn’t see well. With encouragement, he made a tiny dish, signed his name, and then went on to create two more. “It was really heartening to see him brighten up when he touched clay,” said Chua.
Children, too, bring their own unexpected requests. “A group once insisted on making cats,” he laughed. “So my wife and I had to improvise: Three balls, one big ring, four dots. Cat achieved!”
ENGAGING SENIORS FEELS REWARDING
Having always been close to the seniors in their own family, Chua and his wife knew they wanted to extend that same bond to older residents in the community.
Outreach began almost by accident. One afternoon, a staff member from St Andrew’s Active Ageing Centre – just 50 metres from the studio – walked past and struck up a conversation. Within weeks, Chua was lugging clay and brushes over for sessions.
They’ve since expanded through a CSR programme with NTUC Health. “We travel light,” he said. “Just clay, underglazes and brushes. Enough for them to make and paint in the same sitting.”
At first, seniors are often hesitant. “They’d say, ‘I’m scared it will break, mine looks so ugly.’” But two hours later, they’re proud of their work – even comparing pieces with one another.
“The most rewarding part is hearing them say, ‘Oh wow, it actually looks so nice!’ – and seeing how happy they are with what they made,” said Chua.
WHAT CLAY TEACHES YOU
Beyond the community, the craft itself keeps Chua humble. Kilns, after all, have their moods. “Sometimes you apply glaze one way, it comes out black. Sometimes it’s not as you want. But you retest, retweak. That’s the fun,” he explained. A 1 or 2 per cent tweak in glaze composition can swing an entire colour.
This is why he believes clay teaches respect. “You treat it with respect, then the clay will kind of say, today I’ll let you do this to me. Every day, the clay humbles you."
For him, pottery is also about focus, and being fully in the moment. “When you make clay objects, you have to free your mind from whatever’s bothering you. Just focus 100 per cent, do it nice, do it properly. Once it’s done, you can move on.”
"When people walk past, I want the studio to look like a dream. And when they step in, I want them to feel like they’ve entered mine." said Chua.
Just like how he felt when he stepped inside that tiny studio with that lone woman during that fateful visit to Copenhagen.
Studio SF is located at 163 Bedok South Ave 3, #01-K1. Those interested in workshops can register by sending a direct message to its Instagram page.
