A bigger showroom with wider range for this vintage Scandinavian furniture retailer.
A bigger showroom with wider range for this vintage Scandinavian furniture retailer.
For Marko Yeo and Tawan Conchonnet, owners of vintage furniture store Noden, the reasons for their love of Danish furniture may be because of its effortless look and timeless design.
“There are vintage Danish pieces which, if you saw them in a contemporary home, you would not guess are from the 1950s,” says Marko. Credited as the country that pioneered the academic study of furniture design, Denmark’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen has produced a legion of skilled craftsmen, from Kaare Klint to Hans Wagner and Arne Jacobsen. You’ll find furniture produced by such Danish designers at Noden. The store recently moved from its Oxley Bizhub location to a bigger showroom in Ubi Road, where the founders continue to bring in authentic vintage furniture, as well as meet and share knowledge with other lovers of Scandinavian design. A larger space means more available stocks for walkin customers, too; the previous outlet had an impressive turnover rate, thanks to Noden’s strong online presence.
The store carries designs by iconic Danish makers, such as the Arne Vodder tables, several Hans Wegner chairs, the Poul Cadovius wall unit from 1948, and chests and sideboards by the founders’ favourite designer, Kai Kristiansen.
Prices for these soughtafter pieces range from $250 to $20,000, and are influenced by the year of manufacture, the designer identity and its rarity, among many other factors. “We carry furniture – restored as well as those in good original condition – made during the golden period of Danish design in the first half of the 19th century. It’s a period that will never be repeated and, therefore, the furniture holds a high intrinsic value to many people,” says Marko.
The type of wood used is also imperative to its value. Tropical wood, especially teak, is perceived as exotic and prized by Scandinavian designers. Oak, beech and birch are also commonly used; Finnish designers, such as renowned architect Alvar Aalto, are famed for using birch in both furniture and architecture. The “Rolls-Royce of wood”, as Marko terms it, is the critically endangered Brazilian rosewood, so expect vintage furniture made of it to carry a heftier price tag.
Marko Yeo (seated) has been collecting vintage items for 20 years (he once owned a vintage apparel shop), while Tawan Conchonnet is the photographer behind the pretty images on the Noden website.
“Wood furniture was a way of bringing warmth and nature into their living space,” Tawan says of the Scandinavians. The wooden Poul Cadovius wall unit from 1948 is a crowd favourite.
Noden also carries vintage ceramic tableware and vases, as well as wooden clocks, linen textiles and candles.
Pair your furniture with these art pieces by Danish designer Berit Mogensen Lopez.
