In partnership with:Singapore Tourism Board
Why has one of Singapore’s last rattan furniture craftsmen seen revived interest – after decades?
In partnership with:Singapore Tourism Board
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  • Chen Foon Kee, 72, who has run family business in city state for more than 50 years, painstakingly creates shelves, tables and chairs by hand
  • Covid-19 has led to renewed interest in his light and durable intricate designs made from thin stems of palms that grow across Southeast Asia

In the 1970s, rattan furniture could be found in almost every Singaporean household. The pieces were also popular throughout Europe, where they were prized for their lightness and durability.

For more than 50 years, Chen Foon Kee has been handweaving raw rattan – the thin stems of a type of palm that grows throughout Southeast Asia – to make shelves, chairs and tables.

Today, Chen, 72, is one of Singapore’s last few rattan craftsmen. His small furniture store cuts a distinct profile, located amid the hustle and bustle of busy central Singapore.

Chen Foon Kee, who is one of Singapore’s last few rattan craftsmen, has been making furniture by hand for more than 50 years.
Chen Foon Kee, who is one of Singapore’s last few rattan craftsmen, has been making furniture by hand for more than 50 years.

He took over the store, Chun Mee Lee Rattan Furniture, from his father, a Hakka Chinese immigrant who started the business in 1948 after moving from southern China.