Decor debuts

Decor debuts
PHOTO: Decor debuts

Blackhole Lighting
Parkmall, B1-21
Hours: 11am to 8pm
www.blackholelighting.com

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WHEN it comes to shopping for lighting, there are usually two ways to go. First there are the upmarket stores which retail aesthetically stunning pieces such as those from Flos, Artemide and Brand Van Egmond, which can cost from a few thousand dollars.

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Or you could head to the lighting shops along Balestier Roads, which offer lights at much lower prices. There is nothing wrong with shopping there, but often the pieces are merely functional or are copies of their dearer cousins.

Seeing a gap in between these two markets, designer Nathan Yong decided to open his own store, Blackhole Lighting. "Blackhole serves as an alternate choice as we represent smaller but design-focused companies or the producer-designer, offering design that is fresh and handcrafted so that customers can be sure they are buying the originals," he says.

Even the name reflects the store's vision. A black hole is a region of space from which gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping. "I want Blackhole to be a destination where all good lighting design will be concentrated," says Mr Yong.

Some of the brands that he carries include NicheModern from the US, Petite Friture from France, David Trubridge from New Zealand, and LeeBroom and Decode London, both from the UK. "These companies are young and fresh. They keep pushing for design excellence, challenging the status quo. I see them as the future of lighting design," says Mr Yong.

He picks lights made of unusual materials and have more sculptural forms. They include the Brokis Memory ceiling lights, from $380, that resemble balloons that have floated to the ceiling, or Llot Llov Ray Pendant lights where the shades are made from either cotton, merino or angola wood. These cost from $1,050. Then there is also the Lee Broom Decanterlights, priced from $780, that resemble crystal perfume bottles being hung up.

Mr Yong is an award-winning furniture designer, who runs two furniture stores, Grafunkt and Folks. He also designs for international brands such as Living Divani and Ligne Roset.

Furniture is his main focus, but Mr Yong has also designed a few lamps. The industry veteran notes that homeowners these days see lights doing more than merely illuminating a space. "Lamps are becoming functional art. People want pieces that are talking points," he says.

Ki-mono.net
20 Bendemeer Road, Cyberhub, #06-09
Hours: 9am to 5.30pm, closed on weekends;
www.ki-mono.net

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SINGAPOREANS' love of all things Japanese is extending beyond food and fashion, with a growing interest in furniture.

Besides Muji, Francfranc and Atomi, there is newcomer Ki-mono.net, set up four months ago, by TOA E&I International, a consumer electronics procurement company.

Ki-mono.net's spokesman Miyuki Matsuda says, "We saw there was a high demand for furniture, so we decided to venture into this business." This is the company's first venture into retail business, after a 20-year presence in Singapore.

"Ki" means "wood" in Japanese, and "mono" means "things". "This is where you will find Japanese-designed wooden furniture imported from Japan," says Ms Matsuda.

It carries over 10 brands of furniture, such as Emo, E-Toko and Mope. They may not be household names here, but Ms Matsuda says they are popular in Japan.

All products sold at Ki-mono.net are designed by Japanese, so think clean lines and understated style. The furniture however, is manufactured outside of Japan in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand to keep costs low. "But the pieces all meet Japanese standards and safety requirements," she says.

The furniture is made from solid wood, such as pine, American walnut, oak and ash. "Wood is suitable for Singapore's tropical climate and very sturdy when used for furniture," adds Ms Matsuda.

As the furniture is designed for the Japanese market, Ms Matsuda says they will be suitable for new homes in Singapore which are getting smaller.

Ki-mono.net's collection include pieces for children, such as those from E-Toko,especially its Children's Chair ($392), a dining chair that can easily be adjusted to fit children of any age and even adults. "We carry pieces that can last at least five years, not those that children will quickly outgrow," says Ms Matsuda. There are also bunk beds, and desks available for children.

While kids' furniture makes up the bulk of sales, the range of adult furniture is popular too.

Among the best-selling pieces include the U-La Rocking chair, which retails from $500. It is built like a desk chair, but can rock, supposedly helping to reduce stress on the knees and back. The chair has also won an award for its design.

For now, Ki-mono.net operates out of the TAO E&I office, and also through its website, but there are plans to open a physical store.

Wood Hood
158 Kallang Way, Safekeep Building, #01-518
6744 0018
Hours: 10am to 7pm, closed on Sundays

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A VISIT to Myanmar for a hotel project led Jermaine Ng, who runs interior design firm Seven Heaven to start a second business.

She was in touch with some timber suppliers and realised that it could be lucrative to import wood from the country. After all, she was using plenty of wood in her projects, for restaurants and private residences. With that, she started Wood Hood, which like its name implies, focuses on wooden furniture.

Every four months, she heads to Chiangmai and East Timor, where she buys lychee, suar, tamarind, thinwin wood, teak and rosewood.

"I get very excited when the workers there sand down the logs, and the beauty of the grain comes through," she says.

She ships the wood which come in big pieces, some as long as 3m, to Singapore. The large pieces come in organic shapes and are meant to be used as dining tables. They fit into landed homes, but some offices have also made orders from her.

"These are often conversation pieces, and there are some firms that prefer working on them, as opposed to the usual office furniture, as the beauty of the wood gets their creative juices going," she says. These 3m-long pieces don't come cheap, so expect to pay $35,000 for a solid teak wood table.

There are smaller pieces which work well for apartments, such as a $2,800 suar wood table that seats four.

Some of the wood pieces are fumigated, so that any wood vermin are killed. The dining tables all come with a lacquer finish, so that they will not be easily stained. "Customers don't like it when their cups leave a mark on the table, so the lacquer finish helps protect the wood," she says. A coat of lacquer also helps bring out the colour of the wood.

Ms Ng, who has been in the interior design business for 12 years, also provides customised pieces for her clients. She even has a workshop, where she experiments with different wood pieces to see what she can create. A piece that came out from an experiment is a side cabinet, that has pipes and a tap mounted on it.

Wood is a big attraction for her as "it can be carved easily and it can change its form," she says. "Also, it is easily adapted to other materials - imagine wood with metal, glass or stone."

Tables are the main draw here, but Wood Hood also offers some quirky items, again, made of wood.

One of which are sinks made from petrified wood, the name given to a special type of fossilised remains of terrestrial vegetation. Think of it as wood surrounding a stone sink. These retail from $450.

Up on another wall are rows of chopped up timber logs, for $80, which either work as a decorative wall piece or as a chopping board. "We have given many clients these as housewarming gifts, they can double as serving trays too," says Ms Ng.

While wood is the main choice of materials here, shoppers can also find decorative accessories such as aluminium serving bowls or photo frames, which Ms Ng sourced from Bali.

Even though wood is a hardy material, it needs to be well looked after. Placing a wooden dining table under the sun is a no-no, as the extreme heat will cause the wood to crack.

To ensure that the pieces last for years to come, Ms Ng plans to start woodcare workshops in the following months. "We can give tips on how to spot a good piece of wood, and how to care for them."

Imhomm
33 Ubi Ave 3, #02-18, The Vertex
Hours: 10.30am to 7pm on weekdays;
11am to 8pm on weekends; www.imhomm.com

MENTION Ubi and car workshops come to mind, but some savvy shoppers have discovered home furnishing store Imhomm (say "I'm home") in the industrial area.

The store was started by Maena Ong, art director at Mong Design Studio which specialises in high-end homes. "Apart from designing, I also help clients style their home, shopping for the accessories and furnishings," says Ms Ong, who has been in the business for 15 years.

Frustrated with the limited variety of furnishings here, she heads to overseas trade fairs to shop and her purchases would fill up precious space at the design firm. "Everything was kept in a store room and because I shopped so much, I soon ran out of space," she says.

She hit upon the idea to rent a space, to retail some of her items. Since this is her first venture into retailing, Ms Ong is starting small, with a 1,400 sq ft space at Ubi, since "the rent is affordable".

The store is filled with pieces, such as table lamps, vases, artworks, and the odd dining table set. You won't find sofas here as, "there are too many players importing sofas. I'd rather stick to the peripheral items," she says. The items are sourced from India, China and Bangkok.

Having a store of her own means Ms Ong has more choices when it comes to filling out her client's home, so it is no wonder that a good percentage of Imhomm's customers are also clients of Mong Design. "But there is also a large number of customers who don't know Mong but who shop here," she says.

The store is also popular with other interior designers who pick out things to fit out showflats. Table lamps make up a large percentage of the stock, as she favours them over the usual ceiling lights. "They make a room feel cosier and more attractive." The lamps cost from $180.

Artworks by artists from China whom Ms Ong has commissioned line the walls, which retail from $400.

"I like artworks that are brightly coloured," she says. For the homeowner who is artistically challenged, she says that colourful artworks complement interiors which have neutral shades. But for homes that are more colourful, there are art pieces that have more subtle colours. "It is all about balance," says Ms Ong, who plans to work with local artists in the future.

Those who like the industrial look will also be able to find suitable pieces here, such as consoles and shelves. "I picked these industrial-style pieces because I like their look, but don't have the chance to use them in my clients' homes as not many like this look," she says. "But I'm glad that the industrial range has taken off with Imhomm's customers." A set of nesting tables that retail for $390 has been a hot seller.

Ms Ong has plans to move to a more visible location, but for now she says, "many people are surprised to find such a shop in this location, and they enjoy coming here to see what treasures they may find."

taysc@sph.com.sg


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