Shopping: Affordable furniture at Castlery by award-winning international designers

Sofa from Castlery X Charles Wilson.

Declan Ee, co-founder of Castlery, is a firm believer that good design can be made affordable to the masses. At Castlery, the pieces are stylish, with prices starting from S$399 for an armchair to slightly below S$4,000 for a full leather sofa.

"We wanted to bridge the gap between Ikea, and the high-end brands," says Mr Ee.

Castlery, which started in late 2013, is popular with homeowners in their late 20s to 40s.

Mr Ee is now taking Castlery's offerings to the next level, with Castlery Feat, a new collection of furniture created by award-winning international designers. The regular Castlery collection is designed in-house and still available for retail.

"The idea of engaging international designers came about when the team wondered out loud, wouldn't it be great if we got Philippe Starck to design for us," quips Mr Ee.

For its inaugural launch, Castlery Feat will launch about 30 pieces designed by six designers. They include sofas, armchairs, side tables and cabinets. "This is the first time that the six designers have their products for the Singapore market," says Mr Ee.

Among the designers include Spanish creative firm Yonoh, Australian furniture designer Charles Wilson and British industrial designer Phil Proctor.

"For this first collection, we wanted pieces that are timeless, elegant and adaptable to most homes," says Mr Ee.

There are plans to expand the collection and to rope in more designers, and even collaborate with Singaporeans in the future.

As for Philippe Starck? "Maybe when Castlery has a regional reach, will we then approach him," says Mr Ee.

See Castlery Feat's complete range at Castlery Experience Centre, 2 Alexandra Road, Delta House, #01-03A.

Written by Tay Suan Chiang for The Business Times