At Home With Goh Ballet Director Chan Hon Goh

Yes, Chan Hon Goh has executive produced 14 editions of The Nutcracker over her tenure as the creative director for the esteemed Goh Ballet academy, an institution founded by her father back in 1978. But those dozens of Christmastime performances (and the endless practicing that comes before them) are just her most recent connection to the iconic holiday show. During her two-plus decades as a performer for the National Ballet of Canada, she tackled the piece over and over (and over) on the stage, too. “I know the music like the back of my hand,” she says.

Full-circle moments (or does one call them “pirouettes” when talking about an acclaimed ballerina?) are sort of a theme for Goh, though. After 21 years working as a principal dancer with the NBC, she moved back to her hometown of West Vancouver in 2009—and the light-filled, contemporary space she now shares with husband Chun Che and their 18-year-old son Avaery (oh, and poodle Ashton, too) is actually the same house she grew up in. It’s a home peppered with treasures that call back to important people or moments in her life: a sofa that reminds her of one in a mentor’s office, a jade figurine handed down from her father, an ornate vintage table purchased when she and Che were early in their relationship that still hosts family dinners to this day. Even without the Christmas decor, it’s a space that sparkles with nostalgia and stories. 

But across her whole collection, only a few nutcrackers have snuck their way in… perhaps because she gets enough of the holiday spirit at work. “It’s not that I’m tired of it, but when I hear the music, I can’t relax,” she laughs. “It makes me nervous. I’ll hear the ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ at a nice restaurant and think, ‘Oh my gosh, I have a very hard solo, how can I eat this steak?’”

Sweet Seat

When Goh was dancing with the National Ballet, artistic director Reid Anderson had leather Barcelona chairs in his office. She found these playful replicas in HomeSense, upholstered in a print that reminded her of another friend who uses plenty of cowhide to accent their San Antonio home.

 

Table Stakes

Goh and her husband were just newlyweds when they bought both the lacquer coffee table and the carved dining set from an antique shop. It’s their 27th anniversary this year. “It was such a big purchase, but Chun kept saying, ‘These are heirloom pieces,’” says Goh. “We don’t even know if they’re actually antique!’”

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Keys, Please

Goh’s parents didn’t want her to be a dancer. “It’s such a time-limited career, they thought,” she laughs. Instead, they wanted her to be a concert pianist so she could play into old age. She found the art form constraining and didn’t keep it up, but her son still plays on her old piano here. “It actually came with the house,” she explains.

Delightful Details

The butterfly teacups were a gift from Goh’s grandmother, and were part of her bridal registry. There’s a monkey-themed catchall in the room too, a nod to Goh’s zodiac sign and a find at the Toronto antique store she and her husband once frequented. “It was in our neighbourhood. We’d walk in all the time and find treasures,” she says. The big brass incense holder was snagged at an antiques show.

Live Tweeting

Though no live birds occupy this ornate cage, Goh keeps it as an homage to a bird her father once bought on a trip to Toronto. “Some budgies sing and some don’t, but the pet-store owner said this one would. He brought it back to Vancouver in a carry-on box and it did eventually start to sing long, beautiful songs.”

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What a Ham

Goh collects piggy banks, and she sees this wooden one as unique. In Chinese culture, pigs are a sign of prosperity—the loose change spilling out of this one is an extra-good omen.

 

Apple a Day

Goh’s mother is from Northern China: there, apples are a sign of peace and safety. A pile of faux fruit sits in front of a goddess statue to honour that connection.

Petal Power

Orchids are the national flower of Singapore (her dad’s native country). “They look so delicate but they’re actually quite hardy,” says Goh. “This is my hobby farm.”

 

By the Book

“I like to surround myself with things that speak to the subconscious,” says Goh. “I’m not necessarily looking for inspiration.” That’s why books on home design are stacked next to tomes about classical ballet. “I think there’s a parallel between architecture and choreography.”