Thoughttul Furniture

Kernel bridges Singaporean furniture making with Japanese craftsmanship.

- Amy Van

Singapore furniture and lifestyle company Kernel was established by Jason Song, who is better known as the co-founder of local design studio ACRE and architecture firm Kaizen. Song’s business partners in this latest venture are Melvin Keng, principal architect of Kaizen, and TY Zheng, creative director of ACRE. The trio believe that good furniture, like architecture, bear the values of scale, proportion, symmetry, and meticulous and thoughtful detailing.

Kernel’s founders were introduced to award-winning Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa in 2018. “We were at his showroom on boarding experience for Ishinomaki Lab, a brand he had founded. It was there that we saw some pieces he designed for IKEA, Frama, and Herman Miller,” says Song. Being fans of flatpack furniture, all three agreed that Ashizawa was a natural candidate for collaboration. “Furthermore, his design philosophy aligned with ours, being tasteful, understated and intelligent,” Song adds.

Kernel’s inaugural 2021 collection brought Ishinomaki Lab together with Singapore-based carpenters in an initiative called ‘Made In Local’. The co-founders’ aims were: to incur minimal carbon footprint by creating the pieces in Singapore; and to be an avenue of steady employment for a local industry impacted by the pandemic.

Kernel Collection 1: ‘Ishinomaki Made In Local’ comprises 18 pieces of furniture. Each piece undergoes stringent design approval from Japan before fabrication can kick off. This in turn helps to elevate local craftsmanship through extensive knowledge exchange.