Get a fresh look for your home while supporting local businesses. That’s a win-win. Here are 6 best local furniture shops in Malaysia.
The recent MCO has given many Malaysians a new-found appreciation for their homes. Being locked in 24/7 can do that to a person. So maybe you’ve noticed the furniture needs replacing. Perhaps the couch has started to lose its shape from all the binge-watching in front of the TV, the side table you have no longer matches the drapes as well as you thought they did, or the dining table or dining set that no longer fit into your home aesthetic.
Whatever it may be, if you’re thinking of replacing some of your furniture pieces at home due to COVID-19, it could be a good time to support local businesses that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19.
Finding local makers who with an affordable price tag isn’t always easy. But going local is honestly a win-win. Your home gets a bomb new makeover while ensuring small local businesses stay afloat. What’s not to love about this arrangement?
Here are a few of our favourites to help get that home #inspo going.
1. LAIN Furniture
Spearheading LAIN Furniture is Hani Ali, an enigmatic artisan who is a big part of the scene. Resilience and resourcefulness are core values that she looks for in her employees, a requirement that mirrors her own work ethics. Each item that comes out of the studio must pass her stringent standards, otherwise, back it goes. No flaw or imperfect finish is glossed over.
When it comes to the creation process, she allows the materials to speak to her. A reason, perhaps, for why the pieces that come out of LAIN’s workshop are, well, unlike any other.
While the MCO period has been tough for her, it has been even harder for her dedicated team who were eager to go back to work. “They kept asking me if they could go back. I had to tell them to hang on a little longer while I get the paperwork sorted” she said of her team, a tinge of pride evident in her voice.
You can’t go wrong with a piece from here with a team so dedicated to their craft. If you’re not looking to replace an entire piece of furniture, LAIN has also done smaller pieces like cake stands and bento boxes. LAIN is truly an exquisite place to start finding something special for your home.
Read more: 13 online furniture stores like IKEA you can shop online
2. Fine Grit Studio
If precision and craftsmanship are what you’re looking for, then consider your search over. Childhood besties Daniel Salehuddin and Khairul Asyraf founded the studio after graduating in design with the vision of providing a wide range of high-quality, stylish furniture made with locally sourced materials. And much like the studio’s namesake, it takes determination of the highest level to do what Fine Grit Studio does.
At the heart of the work is their dedication to creating the best custom woodwork possible for their clients. Great care is taken to ensure the quality, make, and design aesthetics match what their clients need and want.
Clearly, they’re doing something right. This year, Daniel and Khairul made it to the top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Year in Malaysia for their work in elevating the aesthetics of Malaysian spaces.
3. Harith Green
The Mandarion Oriental, Alila, Jibby & Co.; if you’ve been to any one of these places, chances are you’ve come across one of Harith Ridzuan’s works. A former Petronas scholar who graduated from the UK, Harith’s works take a leaf from all that nature has to offer.
This reverence for nature comes out in the foundations of his company too. When he took over the business from his parents, Harith knew that Malaysians would be looking for sustainable options when it came to deciding their furniture, hence, the switch to ethically sourced local timber of the highest quality, making Harith Green the one-stop shop for all things sustainable.
Changing the direction of the company could not have come easy but under his keen eye, Harith’s family-run company has successfully managed to put sustainability at the core of everything they do. The good they’re doing for the planet has not gone unnoticed either, picking up various local and international awards and recognitions for its green manufacturing initiatives.
Harith is not one to keep the good he’s doing to himself. To widen the accessibility and understanding of sustainable manufacturing, he also dedicates his time to teaching and guiding local communities and industry players on how they too can go green via his ‘Green Hammer’ initiative.
These days, the demand for Harith’s modern furniture (in your home and for the planet) has meant he has had to put custom orders for private clients on the backburner. But there’s no need to despair, as his ready-made collections are bound to stun in any home.
Read more: 4 furniture stores where you can shop for furniture & home appliances on instalment
4. Lisasahar Furniture
Some of life’s most gratifying moments are often stumbled upon by chance. Just ask Lisa Sahar, the founder and lead maker at Lisasahar Furniture. While Lisa originally trained to be a pilot, she found herself stumbling into the furniture-making business when she and her husband got a booth at a maker’s pop-up.
They needed something on which to display their goods, and decided to create them because they were going after a specific aesthetic. That day, they had more enquiries about their furniture than the goods they were selling. The rest, as they say, is history.
While Lisa may not be flying a hunk of metal around the world (then again, neither is anyone else), she is still living her best life creating custom furniture. She also creates barn doors that elevates cottage aesthetics to chic new heights.
Another plus point to the work coming out of Lisasahar’s workshop? Reclaimed and locally-sourced raw materials play a dominant role in her work. Good for your home AND good for the environment. Score!
5. KAUI Artisan Creative
If you’ve just got the keys to your new home or are looking to renovate a space, bet you’re aching with the possibilities it holds. But let’s be real – you’ll be in for a whole lot of headaches and heartaches trying to lock down the design while managing a host of vendors to bring your vision to life. This is where KAUI Artisan Creative comes in.
Knowing the real pains that traditional renovation projects bring, they design AND construct any space with a wholly integrated team of in-house interior designers and crew. It’s a highly collaborative process that gives you greater control over the final build.
By taking on everything from the designs right up to the delivery, they are able to get the work done faster, manage the cost better, with a finish that lives up to the highest standards of quality.
Not working on an entire renovation project? Not a problem. KAIU offers custom furniture builds as well. Their handcrafted furniture are made from solid wood that are either reclaimed or agricultural wood. Steel and other materials that have been sustainably sourced are also used to craft a beautiful piece that is one of a kind.
They’re clearly on to something because this year, the founder made it to the top 100 Malaysian Influencer Young Entrepreneur Award.
Read more: How to make a small living room look and feel larger
6. DELCO
There’s no shortage of plastic litter in Malaysia. You see it on the side of the roads, the pavement, our beaches and parks; it’s a sight. And it was these sights that spurred British designers Richard de Lancey and Johno Elisson to start DELCO. Avid travellers themselves, they saw the scale of damage plastic waste was causing to otherwise paradise islands in South East Asia. So they did something about it.
They set up their base in Kuala Lumpur (making them honorary local businesses by proxy) and got to work figuring out how they could turn plastic waste into home decor that was both functional and beautiful. By upcycling large amounts of discarded plastic, the aim was to create something that could last a lifetime, maybe even longer. Enter Re:marble.
The name is derived from the beautiful, marble-esque finish of the final product. Elegant and sustainable by design.
With the extension of the RMCO, it looks like we won’t be dusting off our passports anytime soon. But being stuck at home isn’t so bad when it feels like you’re on a permanent staycation. And if your aesthetics can benefit a fellow Malaysian, then maybe 2020 is still worth salvaging.