Modern furniture at a good price?

[PickwickLi]

Does anyone know of any furniture stores where I can find fairly modern furniture - but at moderate prices? Most places I have looked are much more high-end than I am looking for. I am thinking of something like http://www.westelm.com, but local of course, and with a more authentically Asian slant. My only option so far is Ikea, but I'd be grateful for other suggestions.

[puneet]

i wud say ikea only place i know

[MoTokyo]

Head to these areas if you haven't visited yet :

- IMM Building in Jurong (Massive selection of furniture at all price levels)

- The Furniture Mall at Bugis (Didn't purchase anything in this mall but they do have quite a variety).

- ParkPlace Mall at Dhoby Ghaut - Some stores are pricey but there are great deals waiting to be discovered. Head to 'Natural Living' for modern Asian furniture at reasonable prices.

- Plaza Singapura at Dhoby Ghaut (across from ParkPlace Mall) - Head up to 'Barang Barang' on the 4th... or 5th floor. Another modern Asian furniture vendor.

- Dempsey Road - Quite a few furniture stores catering to a more traditional Asian taste, with a lot of teak wood and "antique" furniture. Reasonable prices if you know where to look.

- IKEA - It would be a good idea to browse through Ikea at this point in time to view the difference in quality.

- Holland Village - There is a mall that has quite a few stores selling furniture at reasonable prices. Cannot remember the name of this place but anyone walking around Holland Village will point you in the direction of "A mall to purchase furniture at".

V-Hive at Funan DigitaLife Mall - This store is a great place to find a pc desk/chair. I didn't want fiberboard in my home (it is impossible to find wooden pc desks in Singapore) and V-Hive had a decent selection of tempered glass sets.

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I visited these areas and can tell you firsthand that if you seek quality, these are the places to go. My advice would be to view the stores on this list before purchasing anything (spend a weekend or two browsing), and keep a pen/notepad in hand to jot down what you liked, where you saw it, and what it cost.

It is very important to see as much as possible before giving anyone a deposit because they are non-refundable. I made this mistake on a Saturday when placing a partial deposit on a sofa. Sunday morning we saw a different sofa, immediately agreed that it was more suitable for the home, and upon returning to the store from Saturday, was told deposits are non-refundable. I ended up paying 900$ for an overpriced shoe rack as the sales cockroach knew she had me by the balls and it was either pick an item or forfeit the cash. Even though it was Sunday and orders weren't processed untill Monday...

Tip:

If you appreciate a particular item, have the sales person give you a business card with their name, the furniture item (sofa;desk;etc.), and the negotiated price. Everything has to be bargained for in Singapore, especially with big ticket items like furniture.

If they remember you and so long as you're a good negotiator, the second visit will see deeper discounts as only a few hundred in commission is better than 0.

Hope this helps.