This is my second blog post about furniture shopping in KL. Simply too many stores for one post! The other blog post concentrated on stores in the Bangsar section of KL and can be seen HERE. The stores in this post are scattered around KL. Again, I will say that I am an American woman with traditional/eclectic tastes. There are many more modern furniture stores in KL, but you won't see those pictured here.
Raintree Accents
Lot No. 8233, Jalan 225, Seksyen 51A, Petaling Jaya
+603 7956 9588
This picture does not do this store justice. You must go to this store!! Here is the thing. If I am buying furniture in Malaysia, I want some of it to look like I got it in Malaysia. This store has a fabulous pieces and antiques from all of Southeast Asia. Things I have never seen before. I would love to buy more things from this place, but unfortunately I have run out of room. I plan on shopping here again before I move back to the US, and have things shipped home with us.
In my last blog post I mentioned that I was looking for a dining room table. This is what I got at Raintree Accents. They have a large warehouse across the street. I got to pick out this particular slab. It is a 4-inch slab of acacia wood from Indonesia. It had part of a branch growing out to one side and I got to decide how long I wanted the table and how I wanted the branch trimmed. The sides of this table are free-form, following the shape of the actual tree. I got it as long as would fit in my service elevator. 9 1/2 feet, or about 3 meters.
East Heritage
40 Jalan Dato Abu Bakar 16/1 Petaling Jaya
+603 7960 5820
Another great store! I actually just spotted this furniture store on the way to Raintree Accents. If you go to one store, you might as well go to the other. Anyways, I had the table, now I needed chairs. I walked into East Heritage with no idea of what they carried, and it was a great choice! They have lots and lots of dining table and chair options. This store and AuthenTeak had the biggest selection of dining room furniture out of all the stores I have seen. I narrowed my chair options down to these two. I was allowed to take them both home to see how they looked with my table. I thought the one on the left was prettier, but it was not very comfortable. I chose the chair on the right, not only because it was comfortable, but because I wanted the table to be the main attraction, not the chairs. My only hesitation was that the chair was a little smaller than I would have liked.
I also got a fabric selection book to bring home with me. I chose this color (obviously I am not afraid of color!). I returned to East Heritage to place my order.
As the manager was writing up my order, she asked me if the size was okay. I asked, "Why? Can I change the dimensions?" As it turned out, I could!! I made the seat a little wider, deeper, and taller. The chair manufacturer was in Thailand, and I was told it would take two months. Well, four months later, I had 10 chairs in just the size and color I wanted! :) Patience, patience. Not sure of just how tall to make your chairs? Never fear! It ended up that mine were a bit too tall. I simply returned the chairs to the store and the in-house carpenter cut the legs 3 cm shorter. And just for 10 ringgit, or $2.50 each. Overall, I have been very pleased with the furniture and service in this store!
Table and chairs at home!
I just wanted you to see some of the other furniture and lighting offered in the store, including this wooden chandelier!
| Lot S209, Level 2, The Gardens, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur |
This is a very interesting store. I just happened to walk by it in Gardens Mall.
I am not quite sure how one would describe the style of this store. Whimsical? Eclectic? Crazy? I call it fun!
Joe in one of the chairs.
This is the coffee table I brought Joe in to see. He liked it because it is sturdy and he would feel comfortable propping his feet on it. He preferred it to the one from Chantique, in the previous blog post. Even though it was not my first choice, this is what we bought. I don't often defer to him, but I was trying to be a good wife. :)
Here it is in my home. I do really like it. By the way, I got the cowhide rug (which I just love!) at IKEA. They had lots of color/pattern options.
Peter Hoe
2nd Floor Lee Rubber Building, 145 Jalan Tun HS Lee
+60 3-2026 9788
Technically, Peter Hoe is not a furniture store. Rather, it has lots and lots of home accessories and accent pieces. They also carry unique Malaysian batik items such as clothing, tablecloths, and placemats, among other things. This is a nice place to come to when you want to purchase souvenirs to take back home.
Peter Hoe is inside a regular office building. It is in Chinatown, and you will see this temple across the street.
Once inside the building, you will see this sign by the elevator (or lift). Notice that Peter Hoe is listed on the 2nd floor, but to us Americans who count the ground floor as first, it is really the 3rd floor. (When I went home to the US for the summer, I really had to think about which button to push in the elevators!)
Lots of beautiful things!
But I think my favorite part of visiting Peter Hoe is having lunch there. They have a cafe with a few tables. Honestly, they serve the best salads in town! This is the Vietnamese Chicken Salad and it is yummy. I strongly recommend calling the number I gave you and making a reservation before heading there for lunch. And the earlier the better. They have been known to run out of menu items. (I don't think I have ever gone there and not seen someone I know. Very popular with expats.)
Jalan Puchong, Puchong Batu Dua Selas, Selangor
SSF is a great find! My driver, Lucas, is the one who first told me about it. He knew I was looking for decorator fabric and he brought me to this store. And while they do have a nice selection of fabric (which I will discuss in my next blog post), there is soooo much more. At this location, SSF consists of floors 6-8 in this building. You will find fabric, ready-made drapery panels, drapery hardware, furniture, rugs, accessories, and art. You will also find a large selection of artificial plants and flowers, pots, party supplies, ribbon, and kitchen items. It is worth a look!
My first purchases were these topiaries and yellow pots for my elevator lobby. I love them! SSF looks like a large warehouse. In the US, if you are selling furniture and stuff in a large warehouse, you can expect discounted prices. Here, not so much. You can't always go by the price you would expect to pay in the US. One of my thoughts is that if most things are made in China, and I am so much closer here to China, shouldn't things be much cheaper? :) Oh well. They were still a good purchase. (That is not wallpaper on that wall. I painted the wall teal and then stenciled the pattern on it. I ordered the stencil in the US.)
I also got these Foo dog lamps for my orange room.
I probably visited most of the stores in these two blog posts looking for two comfy chairs. I have a lot of wild color going on in my apartment, so I was looking for more 'tame' chairs. I found these at SSF and have been happy with them.
Malacca Woodwork
No. 312-C Jalan Klebang Besar, Malacca
This is a random furniture store about two hours outside of KL, in Malacca. (By the way, I have seen Malacca spelled three or four different ways.) This place has a huge selection of wood furniture pieces, as the name implies. The style is either oriental or very traditional. Too traditional for me. But it is worth the drive is you are looking for good-quality wood furniture. And leave time to go sight-seeing in Malacca!
G7, No. 357 Jalan Ampang, Ampang
The next two stores are on Jalan Ampang. I didn't buy anything at either store, but they are worth a look. I am not sure how to describe Lorenzo. The name sounds Italian to me, and I am going to say it is a more 'flashy' traditional. Not rustic, but more shiny and fancy than regular traditional.
I took this picture while I was looking for dining room chairs. Too fancy for my room, but I thought these were so pretty. Expect to see slick and shiny furniture here.
Urban Culture
353 Jalan Ampang, Ampang
Then right next door is Urban Culture. Another fun place to browse. I didn't buy anything here, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. The things I wanted were not the right size or the right color or I just didn't have the space. Check out these old doors made into a shelf unit. This is the only place I saw old doors make into tables, something that was common in Oman.
I am not sure just what this table was in it's old life, but I loved it. I have a good friend who bought an old elephant saddle/platform here that she uses as a coffee table! If I see one of those, I will buy it and put it in storage until I go back to the US. But Urban Culture does not only carry repurposed antiques. There are plenty of new upholstered pieces too.
DaVinci
No. 1017 Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL
Now if any one of you needs to furnish a palace, have I got the place for you. Da Vinci! This is a fancy and expensive furniture store. The only reason I went there is because they carry nice American furniture. I was looking at some things that were half-price. That was the only way I would consider shopping here. These were some of the 'simpler' furniture items they carry.
I was considering this for the console table behind my sofa. I wonder if they still have it...
These are the chairs I was considering when looking for two comfy chairs. That was honestly the softest leather chair I have ever felt!! I went back to look at these chairs and they were gone. :( But that's okay. I remembered them as 4000 ringgit each, or little more than $1000. They were actually $4000! That is what happens when your brain goes on currency exchange overload.
Purser's Choice
Bangsar Village II Mall
This store should have gone in my last blog post. Oh well. Lots of great accent furniture pieces and accessories.
No, this is not a furniture store. It is H&M Home Store! In Avenue K Mall. This is the first H&M Home Store I have seen. Lots of beautiful and affordable towels, linens, and accessories.
And so ends my blogging about furniture stores. There is so much available here in KL, but these were just a few options. Coming soon will be a blog post about fabric stores, drapes, and upholstery!
