Homegrown Furniture Firms Marry A Passion For The Craft With An Eye For Good Design

Proudly identifying themselves as homegrown brands, these furniture firms showcase the diversity of the Singapore design scene while celebrating a shared passion for the craft

- Hong Xinying, Kissa Castañeda and Cheryl Lai-Lim.

COMMUNE

“We always try to do something that is different,” says Julian Koh, the chief design officer of local furniture brand Commune. “That’s our tagline: to defy the norm. We create products with subtle details and focus on invigorating all of our six senses.”

It could be said that a passion for furniture design is in his blood. Koh’s grandfather founded local manufacturer Koda in 1972, which produces furniture for American brands including Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. He grew up with fond childhood memories of visiting his family’s furniture factory, and as a teenager, he regularly visited the IMM Cologne and Salone del Mobile trade fairs in Europe with his family; Koh’s subsequent decision to study industrial design at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne was also a natural progression.

In 2011, he co-founded Commune with his brother Joshua Koh and their cousin Gan Shee Wen to have a brand to call their own. The homegrown firm has since come a long way—it has opened over 80 stores in China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, while sister label Alt.o (which stands for Alternative Objects by Commune) was created two years ago and made its debut at the Maison&Objet fair in Paris in January 2020. “For Alt.o, our furniture sizes are bigger and more catered to landed properties, with detailing in marble, stainless steel, brass and high-grade leather,” Koh explains.