11 best vintage stores in Singapore for furniture, decor and objects with their own backstories

Like most millennials who have aged out of brunches and buying bags, I seem to have entered my interior design phase. Specifically, with vintage pieces which does what most showroom pieces can’t—introducing friction in a room while suggesting an interesting past or experience (my vintage teeth trinket tray would like a word). Shopping for them also happens to be more sustainable, and you’re usually guaranteed that they’re better made (read: they’ll likely outlast you).

If you want a home that’s a little less “ordered-from-Taobao” and more curated, here are 10 places in Singapore to find vintage art, furniture, and objects that are less showroom, more places for pieces that often function as art in their own right, simply by being one of a kind. Go slowly, take lots of photos, and more importantly, if something slightly strange or funky catches your eye, buy it because normal will never do much to create a well-lived-in room.

Peppervint Home

The closest we’ll get to being able to shop at a European flea market is here at Peppervint Home, sans the early mornings and the need to negotiate in cash. The range is wide and unapologetically so — a 1970s atomic-age chrome wine holder that twists itself around anything vaguely tubular, retro 1990s hand-painted cat wall vases, and even a 1950s Art Deco burl wood book divider. There’s a huge variety of items, but the overall vibe is whimsical, ornate, and occasionally a little theatrical— the sort of pieces to introduce on shelves which are starting to look a little too polite. They’re in the midst of moving warehouses, so keep a lookout for updates on their new location by following their Instagram.

Objects.Re

With mid-century designer chairs by the likes of Herman Miller, vintage lamps by SCE and cult-classic IKEA pieces, antique homeware, and the occasional kitsch object (gummy bear lamps included) for people who like their vintage with a small dose of humour, this store solves what many mainstream retailers don’t quite manage: selling good design that doesn’t feel staged, although that means pieces usually get immediately snapped up the minute they’re posted on Instagram. Chances are, too, that if you’ve seen an achingly chic piece of furniture in a creative’s home, this is where it most likely came from. 

51 Tannery Ln, #08-01, Singapore 347798

AEAE Furniture

A store that, for some, needs no introduction. For everyone else: vintage furniture sourced from Japan, often with a utilitarian, mid-century sensibility, alongside smaller Nippon-necessities like ikebana vases and washi-paper lamps. If you’re not in the mood to restyle an entire space, the smaller objects are reason enough to visit—ceramic chopstick holders, an unexpectedly extensive line-up of 30 incense stick brands in scents like osmanthus or green tea, and even vintage jacket pins. Tip: make sure you comb through every nook and cranny, and open every drawer, because what’s on sale isn’t always immediately obvious.

10C Jln Ampas, #07-01 Ho Seng Lee Flatted warehouse, Singapore 329513

Discovery Shop

An editor once described this as “the kookiest vintage shop,” to me, which is not inaccurate, and it’s not hard to see why—it looks like a store and more like stepping into the estate sale of a group of well-heeled, well-travelled people with a tendency to keep everything they buy. Antique blackwood opium beds sit alongside Lalique glassware (arguably one of the original #oldmoney brands), with an assortment of trinkets from around the world in between. And if you’re lucky, you might even come across the occasional designer fashion piece. Some pieces are also pristine,  while others come with a patina that gives a lived-in quality, and the latter is always the more interesting option.

Level 2, Stamford Tyres Jurong Flagship Store, 19 Lok Yang Way, Singapore 628635

The British Antiques Company

The classics are here: Chesterfield lounges in rich leather, Royal Albert bone china porcelain (the iconic Old Country Roses if you’re lucky), and writing bureaus that wouldn’t look out of place in a Jane Austen novel. The store also ventures beyond the UK, occasionally sourcing from Italy — drink trolleys, wall clocks, and candelabras — but the look remains recognisably British: opulent, maximalist, and often in darker, heavier woods like mahogany or walnut. But one well-chosen piece tends to do most of the work in a room, which is usually all you need to create a sense of atmosphere without any effort. 

213 Henderson Rd, #01-04, Singapore 159553

Antique Festival 1865

Antique Festival 1985 focuses on antique European sterling silverware from the 19th to 20th century, and with the kind of objects that bring main-character energy into your daily routine —full English tea sets down to matching saucers, scalloped biscuit holders, French crystal vases with gilded details, and Persian condiment bowls. If you’re feeling particularly vain, there’s currently a Victorian-era mirror with hand-carved floral details for sale. These are not small purchases, but sterling silver carries a warmth and softness that mass-produced stainless steel simply doesn’t, which means they turn into heirlooms from the moment you bring them home.

71 Bukit Batok Crescent, #02/ground area, Prestige Centre, Singapore 658071

Treasure At Home

The presence of a Ronald McDonald statue lounging in plain sight should tell you everything you need to know about this vintage store. It’s nostalgic, slightly chaotic, and unexpectedly charming, making it one that understands the emotional value of objects. Expect to find vintage Singapore film posters, matchstick boxes (fill a crystal bowl with them as decoration, trust us), Peranakan furniture, kopitiam signage, old advertisements, and toys from every imaginable franchise like Disney, Ultraman, or PEZ. Things move quickly the minute it’s posted on their wonderfully curated Instagram; however, so make sure you become a familiar face with the owners. 

80 Playfair Rd, #06-13B Kapo Factory Block B, Singapore 367998

Noden

If Scandinavian furniture has ever struck you as a little too restrained (shorthand for a certain beige-mom minimalism), Noden offers a correction on behalf of their country’s designers. The pieces here, mostly from the ’40s to ’70s, lean far more sculptural and expressive. And while the classics that populate Pinterest boards are present — Hans J. Wegner, for instance — so are more experimental designers like Kaare Klint, with safari chairs that are geometric in shape. What remains constant, however, is the ability of each to adapt to almost any space, so expect them to work IRL even if you purchased them online, which is rarer than it sounds. 

211 Henderson Rd, #02-02, Singapore 159552

By My Old School

115A Commonwealth Dr, #03-24, Singapore 149596

1B2G Important Design

If Noden sits on the refined side of Scandinavian design, 1B2B is where things get more experimental, like an oak daybed by furniture architect Christiane Busch that comes with a papercord seat, or a 1970s coffee table with rocks on its surface that look like they’re submerged in water. These are pieces with a strong point of view, so it’s worth thinking about how they sit in a room — one or two placed mixed with more modern pieces tends to read more as a conversation between uniques rather than a clash in personalities. 1B2B also does not restore its vintage pieces, which means visible wear or, depending on how you prefer to think about it, has character.

203 Henderson Road, Henderson Industrial Park, #04-10 Wing B, 159546

Hock Siong

One of Singapore’s oldest vintage furniture businesses, Hock Siong & Co. has spent decades giving pre-loved pieces a second life, beginning as a family-run karung guni business before evolving into a 7,000-square-foot warehouse that’s roughly the size of a doubles tennis court. That means the thrill lies as much in the hunt as the purchase itself, where you might stumble upon everything from sterling silver cutlery for just a few dollars (I would know, because I’ve bought WMF ones at $2 a piece) to antique wardrobes and solid teak cabinets. The biggest prizes, however, are designer finds, whether it’s furniture by Philippe Starck or other sought-after names that disappear almost as quickly once the good people behind the store put them up on their social media pages. Better still, the store also buys pre-loved furniture, so your next decluttering project could become someone else’s best vintage find.

153 Kampong Ampat, #01-02/#01-03 Junjie Industrial Building, Singapore 368326