If you’re looking to host the perfect locavore dinner party, seek out these five brands offering tableware, fine cutlery and kitchen accessories that are part celebration of Singaporean iconography, part oh-so-pretty conversation starters.
ONLEWO
It’s tempting to dismiss table runners as frivolous objects, but they play an important part in dressing up your dinner table by adding colour, texture and, in this case, a touch of local heritage. Onlewo’s range of table runners (from $125) feature unapologetically oldfangled designs with recurring Peranakan motifs (read: spoons, flowers and more) as well as nostalgic movie stubs of yesteryear. onlewo.com
ONG SHUNMUGAM
Founder Priscilla Shunmugam grew her eponymous fashionwear label, Ong Shunmugam, in 2019 with the Suvarnabumi homeware line. She has moved from show-stopping modcheongsams to ceramics, and most recently, rattan – which served as her muse during lockdown in London last year. One of these oeuvres is the humble dining chair ($599). It’s a regional interplay of materials – Malaysia-harvested natural rattan for the frame, synthetic Indonesian rattan for the hand-woven seat featuring an indigenous Iban pattern, and Chinese jacquard for the cushioned backrest. ongshunmugam.com
IPSE IPSA IPSUM
The Singapore-based luxe furniture brand, fronted by founder and creative head Saurabh Mangla, has expanded its horizons. Joining the ever-growing collection of old-meets-new homeware is the Tiong Bahru Cookware Collection (from $29.90). The artisanal cast-iron skillet, hotplate and sauté pan are said to be far superior and more sustainable than their mass-produced counterparts as they are handmade and built to last for generations. They offer the benefits of a non-stick pan without any nasty chemicals and have excellent heat retention abilities. www.ipseipsaipsum.com
SCENE SHANG
Scene Shang’s raison d’etre is the appreciation of Asian culture vis-àvis designs that draw from the once forgotten and yet undiscovered. On display today is an interpretation of art deco-heavy 1930’s Shanghai (the birthplace of Scene Shang, circa 2013) which is expressed through traditional handcrafted trays and baskets. This Art Deco Cane Tray with Lid ($69), for instance, has been fashioned from natural cane with rattan binding and brass accents. It showcases co-founders Jessica Wong and Pamela Ting’s design aesthetic which has been described as “an ode to the old and a nod to the new”. shop.sceneshang.com
SUPERMAMA
Supermama’s logo, hand-drawn by founders Edwin Low and Lee Mei Ling’s then three-year-old, is a reflection of the more-than-decade-old brand’s design philosophy. The brand’s contemporary marriage of Japanese porcelain and Singaporean sensibilities aren’t meant to capture ideas literally, or visually – but emotionally. The brand’s A Taste to Remember range (from $20) has been designed in collaboration with local illustrator Tye Sok Kuan, and commits Chatterbox Chicken Rice’s legacy to bone china on their golden jubilee. Think dragon playgrounds, bygone hawker pushcarts and red junglefowl of classic rooster bowl fame, all in exquisite loving detail. supermamastore.com
