Rattan furniture in Singapore / or even Malaysia?

[Silent Thunder]

Hey all,

first of all, this is my very first post, so Hello to you all!

Secondly, but by no means less importantly, I have just moved to Singapore a few days ago and signed the lease on a lovely, yet unfurnished apartment yesterday, so it needs kitting out!

I would like to ask you all if you know any place in Singapore that specialises in rattan furniture - in particular, I need a bed and a sofa first (not a sofa-bed, however!), and then the rest will follow?

Searching the forum only yielded a cagey result to somebody knowing somebody else who can make the stuff tailor-made, but I believe this might be slightly out of my price range, and more to the point, I like to just see the stuff I get and then take it home.

Another member asked whether it made any sense to buy furniture abroad, e.g. in Malaysia, to benefit from lower prices, but he did not get any reply. What's your stance on that idea? Too complicated, not worth it, great idea?

Thanks a lot,

ST

[ksl]

Rattan furniture is very reasonably priced, you can find some real bargains in Singapore, although it is not as comfortable as other materials, it lasts a long time. My sister in law purchased a complete set of two chairs sofa, and table with side tables for less than 2k i comparison we purchased a fashionable red ox leather L shape sofa, for 2300, promo sale, normal price at 3500k.

Rattan is easy to find in many shops, just take your time and have a good look around, but my advice is to stay away from the City prices. Try Ikea, i have seen a ratten bed their last week i believe.

[sundaymorningstaple]

While I'll not try to dissuade you from rattan, ( I used it for 15 years) you might want to go up on Dempsey Road where they are renovating that quarter for more nightlife/dining spots. This is causing around 6 more furniture stores to shut down. A couple are having really good sales at the moment as the new units they are moving to are less than half the size and they don't want to have to rent warehouses in addition to their new store. So if you've ever wanted Teak furniture/ Burmese/Thai/Indonesian Carved Teak or what have you, now's the time to have a wander around Dempsey to see what you can pick up.


sms

[Silent Thunder]

Thanks KSL for confirming to me that going for rattan won't burn a huge hole in my pocket. I went to IKEA yesterday and did see some rattan furniture there, but to be honest, I'm not too convinced by IKEA, neither in terms of price nor quality, even if it probably is good for accessories for the home.

Thank you, too, SMS! Wonderful and insightful idea that you shared there with me! I don't have to go for rattan by any means, if there is good quality teak or other wooden or natural furniture around to be had at opportunity spots such as you mentioned, even better. I shall go there today, in fact, so might even let you know later today what I have found.

Thanks a lot!

[Silent Thunder]

Hey guys, I still owe you a reply:

Unicane in the Sungei Kadut industrial estate have got a massive showroom next door to their factory - you have to make an appointment prior to going, but it is well worth it. Lots of stock, well-manufactured and fair prices (btw. SGD1000-3000 for a living room set). www.unicane.com

On the same industrial estate there is a warehouse called Clarissa (or something like that) on the corner of Sungei Kadut Ave and Sungei Kadut St 1, which has very reasonably priced, but slightly less great rattan and water hyacinth pieces.

There is a place called Rattan Pacific in the IMM shopping centre which is pretty good, too, but they are slightly more expensive and have much less choice.

Then there are several shops in The Furniture Mall which stock rattan, wicker and water hyacinth furniture.