Starchie was established in 2017 by Silvia Tasani and Celine Ng as an online shop offering a selection of home goods and lifestyle products from Asian designers.

Silvia Tasani (left) and Celine Ng (right)

Formally trained as an architect, Tasani spent more than a decade working for a number of architecture firms in Japan and Australia. Multidisciplinary designer Ng teaches at NAFA, as well as running her own design practice Fraction Design Studio. The pair met through a mutual friend, discovered their shared passion for empowering Asian design and designers, and founded Starchie. 

After two years in the business, Starchie launched its inaugural furniture collection in March. Designed specifically with furniture consumer habit in Singapore, the Urban Living collection consists of modular sofa Castella, designed by Tasani and Ng, and coffee table Naughton, designed by David Tham, founder of local design consultancy StudioNorm. 

Castella comprises seat modules mounted on an x-frame, with the choice of either an armrest or a side table. Designed with compact Singaporean homes in mind, The sofa system allows for segments to be removed or added on with ease as spaces expand and contract and their occupants come and go. The seat modules as offered as a 1-seater or 1.5-seater and features an adjustable backrest mechanism from Japan. 

The same space-conscious thinking is expressed in the Naughton coffee table, which features timber tops and a steel frame that can extend and contract depending on users’ needs. 

Starchie aims to become a platform for collaboration and connection and cultivate a community that connects Asian design and designers with an audience that appreciates well-made products. This vision is apparent in the way Urban Living collection was developed and will be improved in the future.

The prototyped of Castella and Naughton were previewed back in November 2018 at the perennial pop-up event Boutique Fairs Singapore, during which fairgoers were invited to give their feedback on the products.

The feedback from the event helped the designers to refine the pieces, which are not final, by the way. True to its community-building spirit, Starchie is always looking to connect with designers and design lovers to improve and expand the collection.