Interview

Turning a House into a Home: A Chat with Xue Ting from Star Living

Weavve Home Star Living Singapore Blog Interview

We’re back with Xue Ting from Star Living, an international furniture retailer with 18 stores in Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan! In this interview, she describes how Star Living started out, the discovery of sincere service as their brand’s strength and the biennial D’STAR Design Competition they organise to support design talents in pursuing their passion.

 Weavve Home Visual Display at Star Living

Featuring Weavve Home Display at Star Living (Tampines)

 

Hi Xue Ting, we’re glad to have you on board as a partner! Please tell us more about Star Living.

Star International was founded in 1981, and today we are an integrated furniture designer, manufacturer, retailer & exporter. We are the operator of Star Living (a retail concept brand) as well as the 6 furniture brands (Star, Mondi Lifestyle, LUCANO, JotterGoods, Aartical, BEDz Store) under its umbrella.

 Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Cloud White with Star Living Aartical Collection

Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheet in Cloud White with Star Living Aartical Collection

Featuring Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Mist Grey and Cloud White with Star Living Aartical Collection

 

How was Star Living founded?

We were founded in 1981 by our now Executive Chairman Mr Richard Koh. We started off as a small cottage setup. Our founder has always been interested in woodworking, and he started very humbly by making loose furniture pieces with his bare hands, to be sold to small furniture shops in the HDB area.

 Star Living JotterGoods Collection

Star Living JotterGoods Collection

Featuring Star Living JotterGoods Collection

 

What got you interested in a partnership between your brand and Weavve?

We are a local company, we are always keen to support & bring together good local brands. We regularly collaborate with other local Designers under our JotterGoods brand too. Weavve has good products and they are a good fit to our brand, and it's perfect that their products can complement ours.

 Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Mist Grey with Star Living Aartical Collection

Featuring Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Mist Grey with Star Living Aartical Collection

 

How do you see Star Living’s positioning in the furniture market?

Star Living’s 5 USPs

Star Living's 5 USPs. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.

 

Yvette Pouf from Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview. Featuring Yvette Pouf from Star Living Aartical Collection
Featuring Yvette Pouf from Star Living Aartical Collection
Image credit: Star Living
 

Share an interesting anecdote from when you first started in Star Living.

We did not realise that “sincere service” was 1 of our strengths, until we kept seeing it on forums and social media when people commented about us. Many said that it was relaxing and enjoyable to shop at Star Living as our sales staff are friendly and non-pushy; we understand that furniture is a big ticket item and customers need time & space to make their decisions hence we are perfectly happy to send them off with a big smile even if they walk away empty handed.

 

 Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Featuring Star Living Aartical Collection
Image credit: Star Living

 

What's something about Star Living or your journey in Star Living that would surprise people?

Previously, we have organised 3 runs of our biennial D’STAR design competition to uncover design talents out there. We organise a public design award, screen through applicant’s designs, invite the semi-finalists to our JB factory for a tour, and work with the finalists to prototype their designs. The prototypes are then showcased at our stores for public voting, and finally we flew the winner to Milan i-Saloni furniture fair with our Design team for a once in a lifetime experience. We also work with some of the designers to commercialise good designs.

 

Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Taupe with Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Taupe with Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.

Featuring Weavve Home TENCEL™ Lyocell Sheets in Taupe with Star Living Aartical Collection

This is like a very tedious CCA for us, each D’STAR event runs for 9 months long. We are not in this to make money, but more to uncover design talents out there and to offer them a taste of what it's like to be a furniture designer. Happy to say that our last winner was actually a trained engineer who has always been keen in design, and after winning our D’STAR award, she made a career switch and went to pursue design 😊

Star Living JotterGoods Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Featuring Star Living JotterGoods Collection
Image credit: Star Living

 

What are some of your personal favourites from your current collections?

Personally, I love JotterGoods, then Aartical. Both are our inhouse designer collections and I was part of the development team behind these brands. My house is mostly done up in JotterGoods and I'm glad my hubby loves them too.

 

Star Living Aartical Collection.Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Featuring Star Living Aartical Collection
Image credit: Star Living

 

What's next for Star Living?

At the end of the day, we always want to design and produce good products that are accessible to people, and which can help furnish and improve their lives. If there are initiatives that can help us achieve that, we will be open to explore.

 

Weavve Home Cotton Sheets in Sandshell and Weighted Blanket with Star Living Aartical Collection.Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Weavve Home Cotton Sheets in Sandshell and Weighted Blanket with Star Living Aartical Collection.Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Weavve Home Cotton Sheets in Sandshell and Weighted Blanket with Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.

Featuring Weavve Home Cotton Sheets in Sandshell and Weighted Blanket with Star Living Aartical Collection

 

Summarise your brand in four words.

Furnishing Homes & Lives

 

Featuring Heron Dining Table from Star Living Aartical Collection. Weavve Home and Star Living Singapore Blog Interview.
Featuring Heron Dining Table from Star Living Aartical Collection
Image credit: Star Living

 

Thank you for joining us Xue Ting!If you’re in the Tampines area do check them out!

 

Star Living

Website: https://www.starliving.com.sg/

Address: Space @ Tampines | 18 Tampines Industrial Crescent, #01-07 & #01-08, Singapore 528605 (Nearest MRT: Pasir Ris MRT, Click here to view on Google Maps)

Tel: +65 6275 8832

Email: customercare@sg.starintlgroup.com

Operating Hours:

Weekdays: 12.00pm – 9.00pm

Weekends & PHs: 11.00am – 9.30pm

 

Weavve Products On Display:

✓ Bedsheets   ✓ Weighted Blankets  ✓ Towels

Cash and Carry Available In-Store

 

Check out the rest of our showrooms here!