On the Straits Times: Passerine
Bulbul's Passerine Chair is proud to be featured on the cover of Life by Straits Times news.
Chairs that are made the industrial way usually end up being discarded after years of use.
But what if the chair is designed with fully replaceable and recyclable parts, and retailers can provide this as a value-added service for a profit?
This was what local industrial designer Amos Goh, 35, set out to do two years ago when he launched a sustainable home and lifestyle brand called Studio Bulbul with Singapore-based Korean designer and co-founder Shin Hyang-eim, 34.
Mr Goh is a multidisciplinary designer who holds a master’s in advanced product design from Cardiff School of Art and Design (CMET), an institution in the United Kingdom with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability.
In early 2022, he submitted one of Studio Bulbul’s concepts called the Passerine Chair for the Red Dot Award: Concept Design accolade.
The chair has since made it to production and retails on the brand’s webstore (bulbul.sg) for $330. Passerine refers to bird species that perch on branches and ledges.
Its design is inspired by this posture, as can be seen in the joinery of the chair’s backrest which appears to be perched on metal branches. All its components are made without the use of harsh chemicals and are designed to be replaceable to ensure that the seat is ready for a lifetime of use.
“The reality of furniture today in Singapore is that once it is spoilt, it is most likely to be discarded because repairing it will probably cost more than buying a new one,” says Mr Goh. “The Passerine Chair is a sustainable concept that does not make sense only for us as responsible buyers, but also for businesses to adopt.”