Homewares Haven

New Furniture and Lifestyle Centre

Something is brewing in the Bukit Timah area. The scent of new timber is mixing with the warm kitchen aromas of baked cookies. For all those with a fetish for vintage, kitchen utensils and home accessories, the Sime Darby centre is calling your inner Martha Stewart.

If you a fan of colonial furniture (think Raffles Hotel) or the classic Ralph Lauren look with a vintage tropical feel, your first stop needs to be the new Verandah Living store (level 2). With a weakness for homewares, founder Lynda Talbot has sourced furniture and homewares from around the globe with a luxe outdoor living style for her new store. Stocking Stuart Membery furniture, these pieces have a Raffles Hotel Ra-Ra style with its comfortable sink-into Manau rattan arm chairs, striking mahogany four-poster beds and fabulous rattan bars.

Lynda has also a selection of ikat cushions from Uzbekistan in bright pinks and neutrals, stunning porthole mirrors in brass and nickel, Portuguese Marcella white cotton bedspreads, along with linens from Vietnam and Egypt. This will be a store to watch as Lynda has style and knows how to use it.

Next door is the recently relocated Originals furniture store. With a much larger showroom, Originals has a huge collection of beautiful Indian furniture in a palate turquoise, pale blues, and whites. We love the recycled materials, like filled in wagon wheels converted to stunning white-washed coffee tables. They also have a range of Indonesian recycled teak and Ethnicraft, a functional range with clean lines using untreated teak, which is perfect for a touch of Asia whilst still keeping a modern look.

And for the chef-wannabes and kitchen utensil junkies, you need to brace yourself for the amazing warehouse shopping experience of Tools of the Trade (ToTT Store, level one). Like a giant Sia Huat store, this is a professional kitchen shop with a huge range of utensils and equipment. It's not as cutesy as Pantry Magic, but the prices are a little more reasonable and the range is mind-blowing (if you are looking for tongs expect to have to choose from over 20 types!). We especially liked the dinner plate selection - not a massive range, but beautiful fine china at reasonable prices. Finally there is somewhere other than Robinsons to buy dinnerware from...*sigh of relief*

So although the Sime Darby centre is a hike, if you are looking for some home accessories, dinnerware or stunning outdoor rattan furniture - you won't be disappointed with this warehouse of wonders.

Verandah Living, Originals & ToTT are at Sime Darby Centre, 896 Dunearn Road

Homewares Haven   |   01 Mar 2011 at 10:57 AM

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