It’s what’s on the outside that counts for these happy customers, who explain how they picked key outdoor furniture pieces for their home and what they love about them. It’s always good to hear readers’ recommendations and which favourite furniture stores they bought from.
Arete Culture
Sheldon and Tina
“We wanted to repurpose our casual outdoor space into an alfresco dining area. My husband and I had several ideas, but we wanted a modern, sophisticated and comfortable area that not only complemented the interior but also increased the outdoor seating capacity to accommodate ten guests.
From our first meeting with Caroline and Nirvi from Arete Culture, we knew they were special! They were patient, listened intently and quickly picked up on the feel we envisioned with the space we had. They generated options, gave suggestions and guided us through the entire process.
With every visit to their boutique, we fell in love with their ever-expanding bespoke collection. Their furniture suggestions, colour and fabric coordination, and overall stylistic approach not only matched our vision but also managed to infuse our family identity into the redesign.
Caroline and Nirvi are professional and will astound you with their artistic and stylistic approach. The best part of the day will be coming home to your new outdoor sanctuary!”
Arete Culture
#06-01 Tan Boon Liat Building, 315 Outram Road
9640 3829 | areteculture.com
Boulevard Outdoor Inspirations
Faith, Paul, Farrah and Fletcher Town, with dog Chilli
“Having just arrived in Singapore with not much shipped from Australia and New Zealand, we sought the option of a condo with a balcony – big enough to use as a dining option for every meal as well as family games. Oh, and the occasional G&T! We love food and socialising with friends and family, so the need to have a table that suited the four of us as well as our visitors from overseas and local friends in Singapore for a Sunday barbecue or playdate was important.
After an extended online search, I found Boulevard Outdoor Furniture. I liked that many of their products had the look of the widely-known European brands without the price tag. We purchased an extendable outdoor table that could seat six to eight people, even 10 at a squeeze to cater to our big gatherings as well as for the four of us. (One tip – to seat lots of people, don’t purchase chairs with arm rests; buy just two for the ends of the table.)
The team at Boulevard Outdoor were very efficient and easy to deal with at their Ubi showroom. The table and chairs I purchased were even delivered that very same day!
The table is simple to extend and retract with one easy one push-pull action (other extendable options can be quite nonuser-friendly). The glass top makes it easy to clean, especially after our seven-year-old has battled with the tomato sauce bottle. We’re very happy with our purchases.”
Boulevard Outdoor Inspirations
43 Keppel Road, Level 1
6781 3218 | boulevardoutdoorfurniture.com
Woody Antique House
Natalie, Willow and Jack Dollard
“We purchased new outdoor furniture in Sydney shortly before moving to Singapore in 2011. It was looking a bit tired and our outdoor patio needed a lift, so it was time for an upgrade. After a few months of pestering my husband, he agreed to come with me to some furniture stores that I had shortlisted.
I’d stumbled across several pieces I liked but the prices were double what we would expect to pay for similar in Australia. Woody Antique House had helped us with some dining chairs and a coffee table a few years back so we decided to stop in one afternoon when we were at Dempsey.
We saw exactly what we wanted as soon as we walked in the door! We were looking for a sectional piece of furniture that was versatile and could be configured in different ways for different spaces. We ordered the Verona corner sofa and coffee table. It’s made from powder coated steel and comes with grey outdoor cushions. We currently have it configured as a corner piece on our patio and it works brilliantly.
The staff at Woody (in particular, Richard) are friendly and helpful without being overbearing. They also provide great aftersales service. We’ll definitely buy from Woody Antique House again; I like to go there for a browse, even if we don’t “need” anything!
The store’s delivery team went above and beyond to ensure our new furniture was carefully handled, installed and configured in the best way for the space. They helped clear the patio of our old furniture and even took away all of the packaging.”
Woody Antique House
13 Dempsey Road, #01-05
6471 1770 | woodyantique.com
This article first appeared in the August 2020 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!
Read here for where to buy furniture in Singapore