The best furniture shops in Tan Boon Liat Building

From rattan to solid wood furniture, local retailer Born in Colour’s diverse collection is worth seeing in person. This store carries a wide range of Scandinavian, Bohemian and mid-century furniture, available in an assortment of colours to suit every mood. Created with a typical Singaporean household in mind, each furniture piece is specially curated for both compactness and functionality. For muted palette lovers, the Hesse range is one to look for – boasting fluted sliding panels with rounded edges, the range spells Scandinavian design with a twist. Meanwhile, the Certo mid-century range has a timeless appeal that will sit well with other styles both old and new, thanks to its emphasis on simple lines that bring out the enduring beauty of wood. 

To recreate these gorgeous design looks in your home, shop Born in Colour’s pieces here.

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Rattan has made a comeback in recent years, and furniture shop Rooma is known for its stylish use of rattan and solid wood. A visit to the store in Tan Boon Liat Building displays an assortment of furniture – everything from beautifully-crafted cabinets to old-school benches. There’s also a custom-made furniture service available for those looking for a one-of-a-kind item.

There’s a certain charm about handcrafted vintage furniture, and at Emperor’s Attic, it’s a vast collection of antiques, vintage, and even reproduced Chinese furniture. It sources its items directly from Northern China, making sure to personally select and authenticate each piece. When it comes to antique hunting, the details matter too – the team will be sure to accurately gauge the item’s age, origin, and materials. While it does not customise furniture orders, the staff are more than willing to help you source a specific piece you have in mind. 

At furniture store ipse ipsa ipsum, they take great pride in their furniture with each piece personally handcrafted using traditional techniques. The store name’s Latin for “himself, herself, and itself” – we’re guessing it spans all individuals. From hand etching to ironmongery, the furniture here is unlike any other in Singapore. You can be sure that your dining table or glass lamp is one-of-a-kind, since they use premium materials: black agate, rose quartz, and pink abalone shell.

Head to level 11 for The Past Perfect Collection, which has antique furniture spanning the British, Dutch and Portuguese era in India. Owners Pieter and Marie-Hélène van Houten had previously lived in India, and with their interest in its colonial history, they’ve lovingly restored many antiques and colonial furniture. The pieces are sourced and handpicked from India – and many of them were once part of stately colonial mansions. 

While we all enjoy a few statement pieces scattered around our home, we still need long-lasting, quality furniture – which is right up Grey and Sanders’ alley. It’s one of the mainstay furniture shops behind the Scandi decor trend in Singapore, with premium designs in earthy and neutral tones. They also have a selection of wooden slabs, available for pre-ordering a unique dining table or study desk.

As a nod to the beauty of Indian craftsmanship, Artful House sources its vintage items directly from India. The shop is a treasure trove of colourful doors and carved window frames, with most pieces made from recycled wood. In some cases, it makes the most of old doorway panels and cleverly uses the materials for an entirely new piece. Those looking for a truly unique piece will delight in browsing through its variety of handcrafted furniture and upholstered accent chairs.

As one of the more popular furniture stores in Tan Boon Liat Building, Journey East has no shortage of customers – you’ll find that their shop’s often filled with keen visitors browsing through their mishmash of restored pieces and modern designs. Whether it’s a stylish wooden study desk or modern LED light bulbs, you’ll most likely find a unique statement piece to suit your new abode. 

While Tan Boon Liat Building has no shortage of antique and vintage stores, Commune Life stands out for its collection of modern designer furniture. They pride themselves on creating lifestyle pieces that are equal parts tasteful and comfortable. Another plus: their designs constantly rely upon recycled materials, ethically-sourced wood, and coatings that have low lead content. Knowing that many of us live in small flats, they’ve made sure to design furniture that fits small living spaces – all at a fair price point. 

Vintage lovers: behold Singapore Trading Post, a homeware emporium filled with memorabilia sourced from places that used to be the trade routes of Singapore’s colonial past. One-of-a-kind pieces to sift through include large statement furniture like grandfather clocks and trinkets like an old pair of binoculars.

Arete Culture’s interior design services will create your dream space with homeware sourced from around the world. Founded by Caroline Chin Geyler, the brand has two showrooms in Singapore: the one over at Tan Boon Liat Building offers a pared-down curation in a centralised location. You can browse through a huge variety of designs including cushions, lamps and mirrors from The Luxe Hotel Collection, textiles from Linen and Moore, luxury bed linens from Sleep Naked, and artworks from Urban Road, Karen Charmoille and Christina Jensen. 

LivingwithArt has a wide range of premium art paintings and prints. You can find artworks of every style here, from vibrant paintings to black and white prints, if you prefer a monochromatic colour palette. The studio also has works from established Singaporean artists such as Amanda Lim, Andy Yong, and Pua Ann Chi.

Art space Gallery1819 might be familiar for art lovers, especially since the gallery is a fine art wing of LivingwithArt, known for its accessible range of artworks. Gallery1819, however, serves a different purpose. The new gallery features Southeast Asian artworks and artists from across the region – perfect for collectors who live for the finer things in life. From Chinese Ink to Gouache paintings, Gallery1819 Singapore offers a versatile range of works.