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Now that the megalithic Tan Boon Liat building has been sold, with pipeline plans to tear down the structure and make way for new development, loyal Singaporeans, interior designers, homeowners and even customers who enjoy shopping here just for nostalgia’s sake are left wondering ‘where to next for our furniture shopping?’
Renowned for its mix of furniture and home decor stores, these are home to shops selling furniture both new and old, including second hand furniture Singapore and new stock. These include stores that double as a brand’s furniture showroom and second hand furniture stores for vintage furniture Singapore.
The iconic furniture mall is one of the city’s most established shopping destinations.
It has been sold, yet no dates have been announced for its official closure. But Singaporeans are already questioning where to next for all of our shopping needs.
Where to next?
One of Tan Boon Liat’s biggest appeals is that you have multiple furniture shops under one roof. These physical stores allow customers to look at and compare furniture in-person as opposed to shopping online, where you place all trust that your furniture arrives exactly as it is described.
Interior designers and industry experts are already in the know. But for everyday buyers like us, have you ever considered visiting some of your favourite Singaporean brands’ showrooms or warehouses?
Furniture showrooms offer on-the-floor displays of real furniture sold by a brand, which you might have seen online. What’s great about these showrooms is that they are often curated into various rooms, from a living room to a kitchen to an office to a bedroom, with aesthetic displays of a real-time room setup organised by the showroom’s staff or its own in-store interior designer so you can get a real feel of what the furniture looks like in a home setting.
Furniture and home goods warehouses are where consumers can shop directly for items before they are delivered to second parties or to a brand’s showroom or physical store. Online shops without any physical store sell and ship directly from the warehouse to customer. Not all furniture warehouses are open to the public, but there are a few.
The Showroom and Warehouse Hack
So why opt to visit and buy from a furniture showroom or warehouse?
The savings!
Furniture Showroom Markdowns
Due to furniture items sitting on the floor on display, or customers physically testing and trying out the furniture, you might hit a luck when showrooms offer marked-down discounts on items. This can be due to wear-and-tear from sitting on the floor for a certain time period. The piece could, as a result, have a slight defect, so it’s sold cheaper than the typical price.
Not all furniture showrooms have this policy, but there are a few that we do know of in Singapore that often have special showroom discounts, savings, sales and offers.
HipVan Atelier Showroom
HipVan
One of Singapore’s most popular rising home decor brands, HipVan has opened up the HipVan Atelier Showroom.
Not all of their products are displayed or featured in this showroom, but it is super cool seeing all of the brand’s mega trendy furniture and home decor in person!
Whilst you’re moseying around, simply ask one of the staff members if there are any special discounts or about their current showroom promotions, which are offered exclusively in-store only.
Commune
Locally loved and started in Singapore (now with stores around the world), Commune is favoured for its eco-friendly-yet-artisanal style furniture that always seems to be on top of the latest design trends.
Their iconic outlet store is located at Tan Boon Liat, where shoppers can find display items, i.e., furniture showroom pieces, sold at special discounts of up to 60%! Sadly, with Tan Boon Liat’s closure, it means that Commune’s outlet store here will close and/or relocate.
Disclaimer: They are yet to announce where this store is relocating to, but you can stay up-to-date via their socials and website. Their other flagship store is located at Millenia Walk, but Tan Boon Liat specifically offers discounts on display and clearance items. Stay tuned!
Novena Furniture
Walking around the Novena Furniture showroom (on the fourth level of the Cemtex Industrial Building), you’ll instantly notice how many items are marked down or are on sale!
Checking out their Instagram page is worth it too, where they announce their other yearly sales and special in-store showroom offers.
Novena Furniture’s Central Showroom is located at 5 Little Road.
Mega Furniture Giant Tampines Showroom
Megafurniture
With one of the city’s largest on-floor showrooms, the Mega furniture showroom Singapore is expansive, with clearly demarcated rooms, as well as offering visitors on-site services, like customisation on the spot of furniture items and layout.
When you shop at MegaFurniture’s showroom, the store also offers package deals on multiple furniture pieces.
Technically, shopping for discounted, clearance or special sale items at a furniture showroom is not 2nd hand furniture Singapore that you’re purchasing, but it isn’t brand new out-of-the-box vibes, either. There isn’t always a guarantee you will find what you’re looking for at a discounted rate, but it’s worth the experience.
Warehouse and factory outlets
Eliminating the middle man, i.e., delivery and transport costs, shopping directly at warehouses means prices are slashed down because you’re buying products and furniture at cost.
Ah Seng Stainless Steel
A great warehouse to shop for kitchen-related equipment is Ah Seng Stainless Steel.
“Our interior designer (Dess from Three-D Conceptwerke) suggested we go to a secondhand stainless steel shop and hunt for our kitchen sink. He said it doesn’t have to be brand new; let’s rather go and check out used restaurant equipment and see how it fits into the space,” says homeowner and avid cook, Mike. “The interesting thing about Singapore’s interior design is that the kitchen is overlooked as an afterthought, whereas I cook a lot at home.
I wanted a space that was functional and a little high-end. Our kitchen sink is the main feature, and we got it from Ah Seng Stainless Steel. They specialise in supplying restaurants and hawkers with equipment. But they also buy back equipment when restaurants and vendors close.
They have a really huge warehouse. It’s a little dusty, but you can find some really good stuff!”
Homeowner Mike’s kitchen, where he shopped for kitchen equipment at Ah Seng Stainless Steel.
Harvey Norman Factory Outlet
For homeware-related goods and items, check out popular brand Harvey Norman’s factory outlet, where they sell overstock and clearance models, display sets at clearance prices, discontinued items at slashed prices, and dented and refurbished items for less. Find the factory outlet at ESR BizPark 750 Chai Chee Road.
Big Sale Furniture Enterprise Showroom Warehouse
Big Sale Furniture Enterprise Showroom Warehouse constantly has ongoing sales. Teak wood furniture appreciators, they sell a lot of teak items here, too. You can find furniture for up to 70% off!
Warehouse and Clearance Sales
Apart from big warehouses in Singapore, physical stores and, more commonly, online websites for furniture brands offer what they call “warehouse” sales. Here, items that have a slight defect or have been sitting in the warehouse for a time period are sold for a lower price. They are also sometimes called “clearance sales.”
Items and furniture on offer and sold during these warehouse and clearance sales are not considered brand new, but they are not second-hand either.
Furniture brands in Singapore that often offer warehouse and clearance sales include:
Shop for furniture like the Scanteak Fiske Chest of 7 Drawers for $1,329 (original price $2,429) on clearance sale.
Scanteak
Offers up to 90% during their store clearance sale, as well as private teak sales throughout the year.
Shop for furniture like the Bed PERRI | SG King for $775 (original price $1,550) on clearance sale.
Loft Home
Clearance sales include furniture such as sofas, tables, beds, storage and more.
Shop for furniture like the Nitori 1p Chair Relax Wide Arm NSF WW/OR for $210 (original price $300) on clearance sale.
Nitori
The popular Japanese-inspired homeware store always has a warehouse clearance sale on its website on limited stock.
Shop for furniture like the Comfy Mila Sofa for $799 (original price $999) on clearance sale.
Comfy
Comfy has a clearance Furniture Warehouse Sale section on their website, offering discounts on its clearance sale stock, which are even further reduced in price compared to its regular sales.
Shop for furniture like the FortyTwo Roka Replica Pendant Lamp (White-300mm) for $28 (original price $129) on clearance sale.
Fortytwo
Find close to 1,000 items, from furniture to decor, for discounted prices via the website’s clearance section.
For buyers hesitant about the whole concept of second-hand furniture in your home, buying furniture from a furniture showroom Singapore, warehouses and clearance sales is a solid option, especially if you’re hoping to spend less. The furniture isn’t exactly second-hand/used, but it can come with wear-and-tear.
As we say goodbye to Tan Boon Liat, these furniture showrooms and warehouses are an excellent starting point for your next new best furniture shopping experience!