WE see them flashing their pearly whites as they walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards every year, looking their best on the television set most nights and rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in showbiz, but this is only scratching the surface of the lives of Lu Min, Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Lwin Moe.

Behind closed doors lie the secrets to how these stars live when they’re not in front of a camera or attending a new product launch.

The three big names graciously opened their doors to The Myanmar Times to show us their amazing homes and lifestyles.

Lu Min:

Actor Lu Min worked on his dream home for two years, making the finishing touches in 2004.

Actor Lu Min arranges incense inside his spacious shrine room. Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

Later that same year he met and married who he calls his soulmate, Khin Sabae Oo, who now lives with him in his Myitzu Road house.

“I don’t like any-thing too extra-vagant in my house,” says Lu Min. “I lik e to keep it simple with classic pieces of furni-ture. It’s a style I will never get bored with.”
On entering his driveway, Lu Min looks as though he might be contradicting himself. Guests are greeted by two lions that sit either side of the gate and a large fountain, featuring a set of dragons twisting their way up the centre.
“I like the meaning of the lion,” Lu Min says. “King of the jungle. And the dragons are there for religious reasons. It’s hard to explain.”

The well-manicured garden area around the L-shaped house is covered in large pots and exotic plants, with several Roman-style columns giving it that old colonial feeling.

The spacious interior of the house provides Lu Min with plenty of room to hang his paintings and photos.

“I hired a painter, U Khan Lunn from the Inle region, to paint my parents,” he says.

The choice of cream and tan as the base colours around the house makes it seem warm and inviting.

Lu Min's home boasts four bedrooms, only one of which is used — the master bedroom. The simple setup consists of the items dearest to the actor: his bed, guitar and television.

More statues adorn the staircase — one of the great King Kyan Sit Thar and a sculpture of an elderly Myanmar woman.

The house is so large that it even has space for an enormous shrine room.
“I’m really satisfied with the shrine room. As a Bud-dhist, a shrine room plays an important role in my life. It’s important to have it, especially as I plan to grow old in this house.”

Lwin Moe:

Fellow actor Lwin Moe has taken a different approach to home decorating and design.

Actor Lwin Moe stands in the stairwell of his contemporary-style pad. Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

His three-storey house on Than Lwin Road in Kamayut township is an architectural mix of modern and con-temporary styles, causing the building to stick out like a sore thumb amongst its more colonial-style neighbours.

With the help of architect Aung Soe Myint and Wadi furniture, Lwin Moe says he has finally created the perfect home.

The actor lives in the house with his wife May Thu and their two daughters.
“My favourite colour is white, so I chose that as the base interior colour,” he says. “One of the best parts about the design of the house is that there is no partition between the living and dining rooms.”

It took one and a half years to build and decorate the house. Now the home is filled with art, including paintings by re-nowned artists U Lunn Kywe, U Zaw Min and U Nay Min.

“There are paint-ings everywhere — in the bathrooms, the children’s bedrooms and the living room.”

Three cases have been built into the living wall to house his Academy Awards.
The children’s room has been decorated in a bright pink to resemble Barbie’s dollhouse — the girls’ favourite doll. Everything else has been chosen by the girls themselves.

Lwin Moe’s favourite room in the house is the sunroom or conservatory, which he uses for a bit of quiet time each day.

“This room has great ventilation,” he says. “In here I can read and write in peace, without being disturbed.”

When it comes to decorating a house, Lwin Moe advises against going for mediocre designs found in lifestyle magazines.

“The design of my home was my own idea — I didn’t use catalogues. My advice is to be creative and build your home the way you want it to be. You are the one who has to live in it.”

Eaindra Kyaw Zin:

Actress Eaindra Kyaw Zin’s four-storey home on Kokkine Swimming Pool Road appears modest from the road, but get up close and this home is likely to intimidate any luxury homeowner.

Actor Lu Min arranges incense inside his spacious shrine room. Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

Stepping inside is like wandering into an art museum. “I love art,” says Eaindra Kyaw Zin. “I chose all of the paint-ings, which include those by Nyein Chan Su, U Khin Maung Yin and U Than Aung.”

Most of the architectural design was the actress’ mother’s idea, who also lives in the house with Eaindra Kyaw Zin’s grandmother.

Most of the living area is on the second floor, also the ground floor, which opens out into a back garden. A small ladder leads down to the first floor from the garden.

Elegantly draped curtains brought in from China by Eaindra Kyaw Zin’s mother hang in the living room as an entryway into the garden, also set up by her mother.

“I like my mother’s sense of style,” she says. “She has a good eye for design.”
The lower level acts as a guest bedsit, with its own ensuite and living area.
The top floor consists mostly of Eaindra Kyaw Zin’s bedroom, where her walk-in wardrobe takes up much of the space to keep her abundance of clothing and footwear in check. Above her bed hangs a painting she received as a present from longtime friend and singer Zaw Win Htut. Next door is the family shrine room just big enough to accommodate for all three women.

The house has become a family home and Eaindra Kyaw Zin doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon.