Cover The warm interior of Revolution, located right next to Fritz Hansen’s showroom managed by W.Atelier, features an artwork by Jaime Hayon
The warm interior of Revolution, located right next to Fritz Hansen’s showroom managed by W.Atelier, features an artwork by Jaime Hayon
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On Henderson Road, Fritz Hansen tests whether furniture retail can exist as part of everyday life through a partnership with a restaurant
“I’m not a fan of doing things in Singapore,” admits Dario Reicherl, CEO for Asia at Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen. Rent is priced high, and so is manpower. The cost of living makes it hard for small businesses to survive. Even for an international brand, the economics are unforgiving. “As a dealer, we are still a small business,” he adds. “It’s a 2,690 sq ft shop.” At the same time, Singapore offers clarity and efficiency when the conditions align, allowing ideas to be executed cleanly once decisions are made. It is one of the first linchpins where Fritz Hansen started its Asian market expansion, after all.
Last year, the brand opened a new showroom at 211 Henderson Road, managed by its Singapore retail partner W. Atelier, which also operated its former Jaime Hayon-designed monobrand store at Tan Boon Liat Building, which opened in 2019. Entering the space, visitors arrive at a foyer. To the left is Revolution, a restaurant run by Alvin Gho and Ian Lim, the team behind the now-closed wine bar RVLT, a cult favourite known for its natural wine programme and late-night crowd. To the right is the new Fritz Hansen showroom.
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Above The cosy showroom is decked to suit its tropical-climate setting
The cosy showroom is decked to suit its tropical-climate setting
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“This is like a shophouse,” Reicherl explains. “The shop is downstairs, the front end, and the house is upstairs.” In his mind, the restaurant functions as the public front, while the showroom becomes the domestic interior. “You experience furniture in real time,” says Reicherl.
The Seoul Model
In many ways, the Henderson Road concept marks a homecoming for an idea Fritz Hansen has been refining in South Korea. In addition to retail stores in Seoul, the brand also operates FH Lounge, a three-storey building with a rooftop terrace. The first and third levels house its showroom and office, while the remaining floors are leased to Big Lights, a natural wine-focused restaurant and bar, and Tetu, a cafe and wine shop.
The space has evolved into a chic sort of third place, an informal gathering point for designers, clients, friends of the brand and staff. “We noticed something very clear,” Reicherl says. “Nobody comes in the morning. Designers come at four or five in the afternoon. They meet us, then they go downstairs for a drink.” Over time, a pattern formed. “That’s when we realised it really works.”
Above A moody corner at Revolution
A moody corner at Revolution
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Furniture, Reicherl believes, cannot be understood through images alone. “You need to sit on it,” he declares. “You put your jacket there. You put your bag there. It stays.” At the same time, furniture is not a fast purchase. People take time. They return. A showroom on its own can feel static. “So, you have to think differently.”
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Lived Experience
Above Fritz Hansen CEO for Asia Dario Reicherl
Fritz Hansen CEO for Asia Dario Reicherl
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At Henderson Road, that thinking takes on a physical form. Revolution is furnished entirely with Fritz Hansen pieces, including Arne Jacobsen’s Grand Prix chairs and tables. The palette is restrained, with oak, terracotta, olive green, and a ceiling the colour of natural wine.
“We play with natural light as much as possible,” Reicherl says. Artificial lighting is kept minimal. At night, the space darkens and the atmosphere becomes convivial. “That’s intentional,” he adds. “I don’t want a furniture shop with a boring cafe. Nobody has coffee in a furniture shop.” Instead, the restaurant operates on its own rhythm. Lunch draws the office crowd from nearby. Dinner stretches later. People sit, eat, drink and stay, returning as the menu evolves and new collections debut.
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Above Revolution founders Ian Lim (left) and Alvin Gho (centre) with executive chef Sunny Leong (right) playfully recreating Fritz Hansen’s iconic shoot from the ‘50s
Revolution founders Ian Lim (left) and Alvin Gho (centre) with executive chef Sunny Leong (right) playfully recreating Fritz Hansen’s iconic shoot from the ‘50s
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Food-wise, Revolution positions itself firmly as a restaurant rather than a wine bar. Lunch centres on approachable, Asian-influenced pastas and comfort-driven plates, while dinner shifts to a more considered offering, including a tasting menu alongside a la carte dishes. Natural wine remains a core component, but food leads the experience, reflecting the intention to create a place people return to on a regular basis.
“I want people to say, I’m going to Fritz Hansen, and then have dinner. Or, come for dinner and experience Fritz Hansen without thinking about furniture,” says Reicherl. “This [approach] is working there [in Seoul],” he says. “I’m sure it will work here, too.I hope.” So do we.
Credits
Images: W. Atelier
Jakarta-born, Bandung-raised and Singapore-based, Asih Jenie trained in Visual Communication Design at Bandung Institute of Technology and Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University. She brings both rigour and heart to design journalism, infused with a distinct Southeast Asian voice.
As a child, she doodled on the edges of her schoolbooks and never outgrew her fascination with all things well-made and well-told. Her 15-year career spans editorial roles and bylines in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia, across spatial design titles such as Dwell Asia, Cubes, Design Anthology, Habitus Living, and Home & Decor.
After a brief stint in public relations, she returned to publishing in 2023 to lead Tatler Homes Singapore, where she continues to tell stories about how we shape the spaces that shape us.
