Southeast Asian style

Tom Russell -- Casual Living, 5/1/2012 2:00:00 AM

Spring's international furniture fair Singapore (IFFS) and the export furniture Exhibition (EFE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia each featured a generous mix of outdoor furniture along with its indoor offerings.
     The EFE show was held from March 7-11 at the Malaysia Argo Exposition Park Serdang and featured some 400 exhibitors in six halls totaling about 800,000 square feet. The IFFS show in Singapore was held from March 9-12 at the Singapore Expo. It featured some 512 exhibitors from 26 countries occupying some 700,000 square feet of space.
     Below is a sampling of some of the innovative and designer friendly outdoor products seen at each event.

	Indonesian upholstery and casegoods manufacturer Wickes Cove Gracia also produces indoor/outdoor lighting made from natural woven and synthetic materials.
Belgium-based Manutti Outdoor Furniture showed its line of outdoor dining, seating and umbrellas at IFFS. It offers a line of mostly clean-lined modern designs that mix wood, metal and various natural and synthetic woven materials.
	Lawas, which manufactures in Indonesia, showed this line of indoor outdoor furniture at the IFFS show. It uses a variety of reclaimed solid woods and natural, distressed fi nishes that give the line a rustic, almost primitive look.
Outdoor resource Jati & Kebon Garden Furniture showed this line of outdoor seating, occasional and dining furniture at IFFS. It uses a variety of materials ranging from aluminum and stainless steel in frames to solid teak frames for chairs and woven Viro-fi ber in a variety of colors and fi nishes for seating. The company is based in Belgium.
	Singapore-based Teak & Mahogany Ptd Ltd. showed this line of seating, umbrellas and tables at IFFS. Its line of 700-plus products, ranging from furniture to outdoor lamps and custom-made cushions, uses environmentally friendly materials such as plantation grown teak from Indonesia and recyclable Viro all-weather wicker.
Archipelago Exports had one of the largest product displays at the IFFS show, outdoor or indoor. Its line included a wide array of contemporary pieces ranging from table and chair dining sets and ottomans to lounge chairs and sectionals. It is based in Indonesia and Singapore and uses a variety of materials including UV resistant resin all-weather wicker, as well as natural fi bers including kubu, abaca and water hyacinth.
	These chairs, made with rattan frames and supports, were seen at the SJY Furniture booth at the EFE show in Malaysia. SJY manufactures an outdoor and an indoor line at its factory in Muar, Johor, Malaysia.
This outdoor/indoor set is from the Jute Collection, also by SJY and seen at the EFE show. It includes seating, as well as dining chairs and tables. The lighting, also made from natural woven materials, is part of the company’s line.
	Kian showed this new line of outdoor furniture at the IFFS show. It includes weather-resistant chairs in eye-catching white, violet and pink fi nishes as well as tables and chairs with weather-resistant metal frames. Kian’s factories are in Penang, Malaysia.