It was the late 1960s, and the landscape of Singapore was changing rapidly as the apartment complexes and factories of the modern era sprang up. Even as the country's leaders were seeing the early fruits of their vision, the Tan Brothers were beginning to form their own pioneering vision for one corner of everyday life — the bathroom. It was a vision that saw fruition in a few short years, with the founding of Hemsley.

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The brothers started out as apprentices in the bathroom fitting industry. As could be expected in any newly developing country, bathroom fittings then were designed to be purely functional — simple and robust, but with little concession to aesthetics, or visual or tactile appeal. After all, the bathroom was a purely functional space. The brothers realised, however, that there was already a market for more well-designed bathrooms and bathroom fittings; that the growing middle-class population would seek more luxurious living; and that, in terms of decor, the bathroom was often the most neglected space in the home. They would start their own business to serve this emerging market.