Teak for the tropics

Teak for the tropics



By Annie Ooi


Overall view of the showroom
Photographs by Ong Soon Hin

Teak wood does not go out of style and the warm brown patina of a piece of teak furniture gives this comforting and cosy look to the room it is in.

It has this solidity which gives a certain assurance to the product and a sense that you are getting some value for your money.

Bayu Timor Galeri (Eastern Breeze) in Taman Megah has a stock of tropical furniture which ranges from the traditional to contemporary looks for both indoor and outdoor.


Tan surveys her teak furniture
Dee Tan, one of the owners, has been in love with this wood since 1999 when she opened the shop.

“Teak is evergreen as it is a durable tropical hardwood free from termites.

"The way the grain flows is also very attractive,” says Tan, who sources her furniture mainly from Indonesia.

“We buy a lot of our teak furniture from Indonesia as teak is plentiful there.


Still a firm favourite, the kopitiam table is priced at RM1,300 and the chairs at RM170 each
"The soil there is suitable for growing it, and they have a programme whereby they replant teak, called plantation teak.

"They are harvested after eight years, but if you want the diameter of the trunk to be bigger, you have to wait up to 30 years.

“Some customers also look for ‘old teak’, which is recycled from pieces of vintage teak furniture, an abandoned house or railway sleepers.

"These pieces are more expensive as they are harder to get.”

Recently, Tan decided to renovate the upper floor of her shop at a cost of about RM20,000 to exhibit minimalist tropical furniture as “ the trend is towards no-fuss contemporary furniture with clean lines ”.


This particular example of a daybed is priced just below RM3,000. There are three drawers below for added storage space
Explains Tan: “I find that the ornate Javanese look is fading away.

“However, good things never go out of style.

"I started off with the traditional kopitiam table, and I will still concentrate on it as I find that it is still in demand”.

Upstairs, the full-length windows let in the sunlight, and the teak pieces are placed at their best angle to catch the light.

Tan points out a few hot buys.

One popular item is the daybed in solid teak wood.

“The daybed is usually placed in the sitting room, where the owner can lounge on it.


"Relaxing" chair, RM1,900 each.
"Or, it could be positioned in the patio, if the area is big enough.

“Another current favourite is the French-designed ‘relaxing’ chair.

"It is popular in Europe, where they use the chair in the conservatory.

"Made in Indonesia, I call it the ‘Cobra’ as it is sinuous in look.

"It is made from the fibre of the banana trunk, which has been dried and made into rope.

"A final touch of cane adds to the arty look.


The smallish dining set with the rustic look is ideal for the kitchen
"Metal gives the support, and when you sit on it, you can feel the slight spring.”

Moving on, she points out a square dining table.

“This dining table in a rustic design can be placed in the entrance, foyer or the kitchen as a breakfast table.

"It is specially designed with an intricate ethnic motif in the centre.

"A table with four stools cost RM2,300; each stool is priced at RM280.”

As many of her customers find themselves paring down their livestyle habits, the furniture they buy gets simpler.

She points out a contemporary tropical set.

“It has clean geometric lines, with a glass-topped coffee table.”


Contemporary living room set - many of her customers are going for modern clean lines
The whole set, consisting of a two-seater, two single seats and the table, is priced at RM2,900.

Bar stools or chairs are useful items to have around, as they are easily moved around and called into service when additional guests suddenly pop up.

“These are American-sized, and are tagged at RM450 each.”

In the showroom, these chairs are placed beside decorative items, which are an ingenious piece of work.

Natural products make useful items, and the bract of the banana flower is turned into firstly, a decorative piece and secondly, a lamp.


A really comfortable bar chair; the decorative items in the background are made from natural products
The bulb of the lamp is shaded by treated buffalo skin which does not break easily, unlike glass.

Also, the skin does not get hot, making it safe and comfortable to be around it.

The lamp is a combination of unlikely items; a banana tree flower bract, buffalo skin and a metal stand.

They come as up- or down-lights.

Wicker and wood is still a great evergreen combination and it has found renewed popularity.

Modern art pieces by Indonesian artists are also up on the walls for those who like a touch of modernity while doing their duty to the traditional.

These pieces can be purchased for about a few hundred Ringgit each, unlike the local works, which are more pricey at four figures.