Since they set up atomi together, Ms Murano has seen a different side of her husband.

Throughout his previous career, he worked at big companies such as Standard Chartered Bank and Ernst & Young.

But Ms Murano found that he could be "very hands- on".

Although he was familiar with a corporate set-up where coffee and tea could be served on demand, he embraced changing shop displays and lightbulbs with alacrity.

He still cleans the windows at their store and at their helper-free home, a condominium in Tanglin, every day.

Ms Murano says she did not have specific expectations regarding running a business together, but felt that "it came naturally".

She thinks that this was partly due to her entrepreneurial family background.

Her parents started a tuition school and an English-language school in Tokyo in their 60s. Drawn to the language, she started learning English at six, rather than 13, like other Japanese schoolchildren.

"They never complained about being tired. I never saw my mum sitting down, watching TV. She was always busy," says Ms Murano, adding that domestic help is rare in Japan.

This diligent, can-do lifestyle is something that the younger couple are inspired by.

"Call me the boss or call me the cleaner. It's no longer title-driven. It's a team," says Mr Tan, who was taught to cook and do household chores as a child.