When you think about Japanese furniture, the type of aesthetics that comes to mind would be the clean minimalistic design with some light wooden details. But what about Japanese furniture with a little retro charm to it?
If you like the timeless and neutral style of Japanese furniture but want something slightly different from the mainstream Muji aesthetics, Retro Colony might be a place for you to check out.
Retro Colony first opened its doors at one of the terrace houses at Nemesu Avenue in 2014, showcasing a selection of sofas, tables and home accessories from various heritage Western and Asian brands.
Now located at Niven Road, you can find mid-century retro Japanese furniture that are made of high quality materials and practical for small homes in Singapore. A look at the types of furniture Retro Colony has, it feels like I’ve been transported into an old Japanese drama with the old school lockers and leather sofa chairs.
Retro Colony Karimoku 60 Japanese Furniture
The unique furniture line that Retro Colony carries is ‘Karimoku 60’, a retro-style furniture line from the main brand Karimoku. Known for its high quality furniture and craftsmanship, Karimoku started as a small carpentry business in the 1940s and has since grown into one of Japan’s leading furniture manufacturers. The brand is recognized for its minimalist, elegant, and durable designs, often blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern functionality.
“The furniture is produced according to design specifications that date back to the 1960s, hence the name,” explains Roger Quah, the store’s co-founder. “Karimoku60 is made for Japanese homes, which are small spaces and very much like our homes in Singapore,” he elaborates, on the compact, functional designs.
Karimoku 60, was borned with the philosophy, “let’s make furniture by Japanese people that suits Japanese houses.” It started due to the housing boom after the Tokyo Olympics in 1962 where Japanese housing changed dramatically.
During that era, people were moving from traditional Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats to Western-style floor plans with a living room and kitchen. The demands for furniture such as dining tables, sofas and coffee tables increased as a result of such changes. The brand started with selecting the simplest designs from Western furniture and then improvising them to suit the needs and styles of Japanese houses and market.
The first furniture that was produced by Karimoku 60 was the K chair that is compact, comfortable and easy to assemble. Today, you can still find the K chairs in various styles such as fabric seats and multiple colours at Retro Colony.
Adapting to Singapore Market
Styling retro pieces can be quite a challenge especially if you are trying to match with the overall aesthetics of your home. Besides selling furniture, Retro Colony has gained experience over the years with local customers, understanding and adapting to their needs. Now, they even have an in-house interior remodeling team that would help you manage renovation projects and furniture designs.
Retro Japanese Furniture
Retro might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but nobody would say no to superior quality furnishing. To adapt to Singaporeans’ preferences, Retro Colony imports other Japanese brands that would fit well into our market. An example would be Miratap (previously known as Sanwa Company), a Japanese housing equipment and materials company that was founded in Osaka in 1979, providing premium kitchen cabinets, bathroom sinks and building materials.
If you are looking for a kitchen tabletop that has a simple and timeless design with lots of storage space, you may consider Miratap’s new Pletika that caters to those who are looking for functionality and design in their kitchens.
Retro Colony Furniture Shop
Located near Rocher, the Retro Colony’s showroom is at 19 Niven Road, where you can shop for furniture, understand about the home design packages they offer, and also purchase house plants.
The idea started during covid when there was a trend for decorating and keeping plants at home. Even though the trend has since gone down, Retro Colony continues to partner with passionate plant businesses such as Terrascapes to bring in a small collection of plants in their showroom.
The affection for plants does not stop at curating a collection in the showroom, Retro Colony has also partnered with fivefingermountainplants to host a competition at Taste Orchard for exotic plants.
If you have green fingers or want to add some greens into your home, you can do a one-stop shopping at Retro Colony to get both furniture and house plants.
Overall, if I were to describe Retro Colony, I would say that it is a place to go to if you are looking for something hipster but not too unorthodox for your home. There is a fine balance between minimalism and non-mainstream which makes it easy to style your home with the furniture pieces without compromising on art and personality.
Retro Colony is by appointment basis only. Opens from Tuesday to Saturday, from 12pm to 5pm, at 19 Niven Road, Singapore 228366.