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RETAIL PROFILE
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January15
To take advantage of the massive clearance sale at Verandah
Living starting 6 January, head to the Sime Darby Centre,
896 Dunearn Road #02-02C | 6466 0425 | verandah-living.com
Lynda’s top style tips
Number one is textiles.
Whether your furniture is
rented or whether you’ve bought cheap furniture to take
you through your stay, textiles make a place yours; so get
some cushions, get some curtains on those windows.
This will help soften and individualise a home.
Have plenty of mirrors in the house.
Sometimes
people try so hard to make everything match that it gets
a bit flat and boring; you need the little bit of sparkle that
a mirror provides. Mirrors are your best friends – you
can have one in every room.
Mix your textures.
Don’t buy sets, buy different chairs
and mix it up. Sure, have an IKEA sofa in your living
room, but add in a couple of rattan or planter chairs,
something different. Fill up with cushions and hang
some mirrors on the walls.
Turn off those spotlights
and get some beautiful
lamps! Overhead spotlights make you look ten years
older, so use standing and side lamps instead.
Eleanor:
Verandah Living has gained a great following in
the past four years, and it’s always a bit sad to see a change
– though, as Lynda says, we’re not disappearing altogether.
Shoppers will get some great deals in January, with discounts
of between 30 and 60 percent. It will be nice to leave the Sime
Darby Centre on a high.
With Lynda gone, what will you be doing, Eleanor?
I’ll miss talking to Lynda several times a day, but I’m aiming to
spend more time working on my own consultancy business.
I’ll also be focusing on the charity I’m involved in, the Tabitha
Foundation, and its sister charity Nokor Tep Foundation. It’s a
great cause, and they have such a nice group of volunteers,
so I won’t be lonely!
You met through the Tabitha Foundation, right?
Lynda:
Yes, and my husband also worked for Eleanor in her
former corporate life, so I knew her in both capacities. We
knew that we were both hard workers! It was still a bit of a
leap of faith to go into partnership together. However, with my
background and years of experience in homeware buying,
and Eleanor’s in business and finance, we recognised that
we had great strengths in different areas.
What was it like setting the business up four years ago?
Lynda:
Eleanor is a permanent resident, which made setting
up business a lot easier. We did face some challenges,
including finding the right shipping agent, managing the stock,
getting the supply chain right – none of that was easy. It’s
been a steep learning curve, but as time went on, we found
the right people to help.
Our spot here in Bukit Timah is great: it’s affordable, it has
good access for containers, and we have good neighbours;
all this has helped define us as a homeware destination.
Eleanor:
Having always
been in the corporate
world, it was a bit of a shock
to the system initially, but
at the same time it was
good fun. Singapore has
a very friendly business
start-up environment, and
they really try to help you.
What can people expect from Verandah Living now?
Lynda:
“Tropical chic” and “grand hotel” is how we describe
our style; it’s not a place to buy anything really contemporary.
Our stock isn’t “samey samey”, but the materials our products
are made of mix well together, be they rattan, nickel, brass,
glass or shell. The shop looks like an emporium, as we import
goods from all over the world to create our singular style.
Finally, what will you miss about Singapore, Lynda?
Our wonderful helper, Aunty Viv, whom my son adores and
who has made it so much easier for me as a working mum
in this country. I am thrilled to have found a great new place
for her to work.
The proximity to the rest of Asia, and being able to take
those cheeky little holidays once in a while, is great. I’ll also
miss having a glass of wine on the verandah watching the
sun go down on a balmy evening.
It goes without saying that I will miss Eleanor and my
wonderful friends very much. I wouldn’t have missed this
experience for the world.
Lynda and
Eleanor with
their first
shipment
Lynda measuring
up stripes for the
showroom