Singapore Expats

My husband and I are moving from the US to Singapore in 25 days, and as time is flying by I am looking for some input on a couple of things. We will not be moving any furniture and have signed a lease on an unfurnished apartment... so we will need to purchase enough to fill the apartment. I know that there is an Ikea in Singapore, but was wondering about other places to shop for reasonably priced furniture? Also looking for recommendations as to the things that you wished you had brought over with you. i.e. seasonings, kitchen gadgets/utensils, etc. Starting to panic about what to bring with me, any suggestions?

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/viewtopic.php?t=103156
'FAQ: What to bring'
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ps. remember the voltage difference between the US and SG
Courts department store is one step up from IKEA

Thanks for the input JR8

Courts stuff is terrible in my opinion. have a look but i got a few mid-range pieces from there that looked decent on the showroom, but turned out to be of low quality. it's the great singapore sale right now. you can find deals at nicer places.

try 'v.Hive' at Plaza Singapura which is 1 step up from Ikea, more modern style compared to Courts, or maybe even ScanTeak if they are having a sale (though their stuff typically runs 2 steps up from Ikea's best line).

I think there is no one-stop solution.
IKEA have some very good products, but also other poor quality stuff. It can be tricky as say the typical person might be here 3 years and then either they chuck or give away the stuff, or pay $$ to freight it. We got a dining table (extendable) and 6 solid oak dining chairs from IKEA, and I was rather bereft to not be able to bring them with us on our pending relo away. Especially the chairs which were a timeless design and extremely well made. But it was cheaper to chuck and replace at our next stop than freight.
We also got a cheapo wardrobe from there. That was put inside our bomb-shelter for additional hanging storage. It wasn't anything of beauty but it served it's purpose.
I've never seemed to have much luck with IKEA beds though, maybe since I need a pretty hard mattress. So this time we got one from Courts, and that did everything required of it... even if I'd usually wake up with my feet/shins dangling off the end
We also had a coffee-table from Courts. Glass panels on chromed legs. Functional, but by the time we left the legs were all rusty... cheap 'n nasty, it got chucked.
Then you have the issue of sofas. They never seem decent quality unless you pay $$ for them. Previously we got ours from Courts, and then chucked them when we left. This time we brought our own from Europe (very good ones that by chance we got for peanuts). They would have blown our freight allowance this leaving time, so were given to one very grateful family member here.
If you're going to get loads of paid-for freight then you can justify paying more and having a longer horizon re: ownership. IME though, as with many things in an expats future, that's not a simple thing to guage.

Thanks for the input. I looked on the v.Hive website, it looks similar to Ikea. Just wondering if you have to put that stuff together? We won't be bringing the furniture home with us when we come back but still want something comfortable and nice looking for while we are there. I have bought a bed from Ikea before and actually had fun putting it together but don't know if I want to do a whole apartment. Although I will have plenty of time on my hands......
Nervous about the move.

You can pay IKEA to deliver, and if you wish additionally to assemble.
Just a thought.

IKEA furniture can be good enough if the following apply:
* actual wood, not MDF
* not laminated MDF
* shelves/bookcases
* metal+plastic construction

or the usual IKEA furniture if you think you'd only use them for up to 18 months. The bad rap comes from MDF/particle furniture (especially desks, tables and drawer bottoms) that would eventually sag due to weight. But if it's solid wood or metal, it'll be good enough.

v.Hive puts it together for you, delivery should be included. I got a few shelves and a shoe cabinet from there, happy with them so far.

Ikea also assembles your stuff. You pay for delivery and Ikea charges you 12% of the cost to assemble. I do think Ikea has some nice things as well. For us, being able to quickly get rid of our stuff (in case of another move) was important. I learned my lesson with buying higher priced heavier items back home. When I left for Singapore, it was a pain in the a** getting rid of all of it. All of my Crate and Barrel/Pottery Barn stuff sold quick, but other items that were of the same quality took months to sell online. It wasn't until I rented my own truck and offered to deliver, and lowered prices, before I was able to rid myself of it. And carrying the stuff out + delivering with a buddy was quite a workout.

My opinion is if you plan on moving again (even within Singapore), Ikea stuff, or similar panel-based things that can be dis-assembled easily, are best.

Thanks for the input. Not sure how long we will even be there and will probably be giving the stuff away when we head back to the US. Just want something that is comfortable (especially couch & mattresses) and looks nice too while we are there. Saw a post on Facebook, www.diyprojectsworld.com, called "37 ways to upgrade Ikea items into something amazing" had a few ideas on how to slightly change the look of the furniture, wouldn't exactly call them amazing. Some of them just common sense, i.e. painting, crown moulding on bookcases, etc. but interesting anyway.

American wrote:
My opinion is if you plan on moving again (even within Singapore), Ikea stuff, or similar panel-based things that can be dis-assembled easily, are best.

Caveat emptor: a lot of Ikea furniture wouldn't survive being disassembled. I know; I moved every year for four years with Ikea furniture.

yeah - i should have said dis-assembled then tossed out, without having to pay a disposal fee! smaller items are a lot easier to take apart and even sell on gumtree, i find that the ikea stuff, especially if it's a newer model, actually sell pretty fast online

nakatago wrote: Caveat emptor: a lot of Ikea furniture wouldn't survive being disassembled. I know; I moved every year for four years with Ikea furniture.

Actually you can dis assemble them put .. putting them together again is gonna be real fun .. specially where are screws are self threading ....

ecureilx wrote:

nakatago wrote: Caveat emptor: a lot of Ikea furniture wouldn't survive being disassembled. I know; I moved every year for four years with Ikea furniture.

Actually you can dis assemble them put .. putting them together again is gonna be real fun .. specially where are screws are self threading ....

A-HEM.

nakatago wrote:A-HEM.