Inside Flexform’s first experience centre, an appointment-only haven of quiet elegance for discerning clients in Singapore

Italian furniture maker Flexform has built its reputation on restraint—pieces defined less by ostentation than by a kind of understated confidence, the sort that ages well and passes easily from one generation to the next. That philosophy has found a home in Singapore, where Rosso Italian Living, a new company spearheaded by managing director Swee Hoe Lim, has opened the brand’s first experience centre in the world. Not merely a showroom, it is a by-appointment-only space designed for uninterrupted, focused encounters with the Italian maison’s oeuvre.

Lim’s own path to Flexform was anything but conventional. Starting out in real estate before becoming a developer, he later acquired a system integration business built around another Italian brand, Vimar, known for its high-end switches. Flexform, he says, was a natural next step. His pitch to open a mono-brand store resonated with the company, and Flexform selected Rosso Italia as the distributor in Singapore.

Left: The Spello table is paired with the Isabel dining chairs, creating a dining setting that is both sophisticated and effortlessly liveable. Right: The Arnold table brings a strong architectural presence to the dining space, while the Alma dining chairs introduce a softer expression through their form. Top: A living space brings together the Camelot sofa, Eri armchair, Oliver side table, Lauren armchair, and Arnold coffee tables.

In this conversation with Boulevard, Lim discusses why he opted for an appointment-only model over a mall storefront, how his background in real estate shaped his read on Singapore’s evolving taste for luxury, and why after-sales craftsmanship matters just as much as the sale itself.

Boulevard: Where does your attachment to Flexform, or your interest in design more broadly, come from?

Swee Hoe Lim: My family has been in the building materials business since the ‘70s, but I didn’t actually join the family business. I was in the real estate business, and then I progressed to become a developer and distributor, partly because the opportunities were hard to resist. 

My other business provides smart home automation systems and hotel solutions to luxury hospitality properties—we call it system integration with top-of-the-range switches from another Italian brand, Vimar. It had already connected me with many excellent architects and interior designers, and some of them told me that if I’m given the opportunity to open this space, I shouldn’t let it go, because Flexform is a very special brand.

Left: Details on the Crono armchair, defined by its distinctive silhouette. Right: The Groundpiece sofa sets a relaxed tone with its proportions, while the Fly coffee table pairs marble and wood in a striking display of materiality. The Bangkok ottoman, with its woven detailing, introduces texture and a casual sensibility.

Flexform gives you this feeling of a very quiet kind of elegance, and that’s also how the owners of Flexform are—not too ostentatious. Everybody wants luxury, but I think it’s more than just luxury. Flexform prides itself on being the best in quiet, elegant design: something that isn’t too gaudy, that withstands time, and that you pass down to the next generation. 

I’d say that a piece of Flexform, even just a coffee table, isn’t something you replace often. You buy it to keep, to pass on, and then you build around it.

Blvd: Flexform has more than a hundred representatives worldwide. What made this project different?

Lim: It had to be a mono-brand experience centre—not a multi-brand showroom like some of my competitors run. I liked that criterion, because when you want to represent something so unique, so special, you need real focus. It has to be the one and only. There’s no second best; this has to be the best. That’s how we promote the brand.

A layered arrangement of Flexform favourites, featuring the Soft Dream sofa with Guscio and the high back version, Guscioalto armchairs, complemented by the Pico coffee tables. In the background, the Magi bench, Loungescape seating, Infinity cabinet, Feel Good armchair and Eri coffee table complete the setting with a cohesive balance of form, texture and function.

This is a brand-new experience centre—the first one Flexform has agreed to anywhere, even though they have many showrooms. I surveyed the current market in Singapore and I thought: I want to do something different. I want my customers, whether corporations or individuals, to have a special place with no hustle and bustle. 

Prior to opening, we had clients who discovered this new centre and asked to come, and they told us it felt like a genuinely different experience. When you go to other brands, it can feel crowded because too many brands compete for attention. Here, we operate strictly by appointment.

Blvd: As Singapore’s market has evolved over the decades, what have you seen in terms of taste, and how has that shaped the appetite for a brand like Flexform?

Lim: Singapore is already more than 60 years old as a nation, and there are more local and naturalised citizens, more affluent families, and younger faces. I think brands like Flexform will only see more people wanting to experience them and bring them home. These past 10 years have been especially notable—we haven’t seen homes, or even hotels, like this before. Brands like Aman weren’t even in Singapore, and now more are arriving. The real estate arena is genuinely exciting, and I’m excited to be the new distributor bringing more of what we haven’t seen here in the last decade.

Left: Designed to embrace the outdoors, the Zefiro table and Echoes dining chairs bring people together in a setting that feels open, relaxed and connected to nature. Right: The Lifesteel sofa combines generous comfort with a sleek, architectural profile.

I’ve also seen this play out in Singapore’s Good Class Bungalows. I’ve watched prices appreciate enormously, and watched how people build differently now, with architects, including international names, designing very unique homes for high-net-worth clients whose tastes differ even from their parents’ generation.

Blvd: What are an end-client’s expectations today, in terms of quality and durability?

Lim: Even as a brand-new distributor, we’ve already handled numerous cases that weren’t tied to a sale—just clients who needed help. One was a Japanese woman whose sofa had been moved by a different mover, who installed the legs incorrectly. She emailed Flexform, and Rosso Italia finished the job, sourcing the right parts and bringing in specialised craftsmen, because a regular handyman would likely make the same mistake again. That’s the after-sales commitment we make, even on cases that weren’t originally ours. This is why we call it an experience centre—we want customers to tell us what they want and expect, and from there, we take care of it.

The Softdream sofa forms the heart of the living space, complemented by a pair of Guscio armchairs and the Pico stacking coffee table.

Most major brands can’t launch too many new products at once. It isn’t just about designing; it’s the manufacturing, the logistics, the sales channel, all of it. This year has been especially significant for Flexform; I’m fortunate to be here as they have two new designers and have produced new designs.

My sales team also have an architectural background—they understand design language and technicality, not just customer service. We have a configurator that lets every piece be bespoke, tailored exactly to what a client wants—colour, fabric, all of it, one hundred per cent.

Blvd: Any standout new pieces from this year?

Lim: There’s a new sofa called the Quincy, designed to be a very intimate piece. It’s round, so the people sitting at its edges naturally face each other, which makes for closer, more intimate conversation.

Left: The Loungescape sofa defines the space with its expansive form and relaxed character, while the Eri coffee table provides a balanced counterpoint. Right: Designed by Antonio Citterio in 1984, the Ginger chaise longue remains an enduring icon of contemporary design.

Blvd: Do you have a personal favourite among Flexform’s pieces?

Lim: The Ginger. It’s very unique.

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