The Tamarind Show Units Get the IKEA Treatment
Date：2015/02/11
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Penang – Lifestyle property development group Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O) and IKEA, the renowned home furnishing specialist, have come together to produce a fully furnished show unit for The Tamarind, the soon-to-be launched executive apartments by E&O in Penang.
This maiden partnership marks the first time a property developer has approached IKEA to collaborate from inception the interior design of a show unit to providing its full furnishings within. Together, the teams at E&O and IKEA worked closely on the design brief and budget, styled to target upwardly mobile professionals with young families. The combined efforts showcasing IKEA design and products in The Tamarind's show unit will be unveiled next month at E&O's Seri Tanjung Pinang sales gallery.
The Tamarind, a 7-acre freehold high-rise development located at E&O's masterplanned seafront community of Seri Tanjung Pinang, also represents the first executive apartments to be launched by E&O.
"At E&O, we are committed to crafting premium properties in every segment. At The Tamarind, we present the opportunity for young executives and families to own an aspirational home within Seri Tanjung Pinang, which is competitively priced yet still has the hallmarks of innovation and style for which E&O has become synonymous,” said Eric Chan Kok Leong, Deputy Managing Director of E&O.
"Given that we wanted The Tamarind to capture the aspirational, but also have a well-grounded functional and achievable appeal, we believe there could be no better partner than IKEA, a universally loved brand by all proud homeowners, not only in Malaysia but the world over,” he added.
The E&O team spent many hours of brainstorming and discussion with the home furnishing specialists at the IKEA store located at Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, followed by an on-site trip to Seri Tanjung Pinang. This included recording necessary measurements of the bare show unit for The Tamarind, as well as viewing other completed show homes and projects such as the Andaman resort condominium and the company's namesake E&O Hotel in George Town.
When ready for fit out, the instantly recognisable yellow and blue IKEA truck made its way up to Penang, and the team worked to transform concept into reality.
“We have been collecting feedback from Malaysians through the IKEA Life@Home Study. Last year, 1 in 4 homeowners told us that their biggest furnishing and renovation challenge is lack of ideas and inspiration,” said Gerard Jansen, Store Manager of IKEA Damansara.
The home furnishing specialists from IKEA have been providing Malaysians with heaps of great ideas that are supported by a unique range of more than 9,000 affordable home furnishing products. We truly welcome the collaboration with E&O as it gives IKEA the opportunity to inspire families in Penang to transform their homes into functional, comfortable and stylish living spaces.”