Reinvigorating the Craft of Woodwork in Singapore

In Singapore, Roger&Sons is a second-generation woodworking studio helmed by three brothers who work to push boundaries and elevate the craft

From left to right: Morgan, Ryan and Lincoln Yeo

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2014, Morgan Yeo took an unconventional path to keep the legacy of his father’s furniture company alive. He joined the business with his two other younger brothers, Lincoln and Ryan, and the three of them rebranded the company as Roger&Sons and began to focus on creating bespoke furniture.

Pivoting the company to a woodworking studio wasn’t easy, and since the company aimed to be environmentally conscious, working with wood as a natural material presented its own challenges. The brothers needed to consider minimising waste throughout, from the design phase to the production process, and switching to new, environmentally sustainable production methods. Eco-friendly production also ties in with the studio’s design philosophy of function over form — prioritising the function of furniture and objects first and foremost, rather than creating an aesthetically pleasing piece with compromised functionality. The studio’s artisans embrace the natural character in the timber they use, like incorporating a burl in a timber slab into the design to minimise waste and add a unique look to the design.

For the past seven years, Roger&Sons has worked on several custom furniture products for various private and commercial clients. One project that Morgan particularly enjoyed was creating an 11-square-metre bespoke wine cellar, designed to house almost 700 wine bottles and more than 30 wine crates. To minimise any impact on the flavours of the wines, the American white oak that was used for the wine cellar was left in its raw state.

‘Growing up, we were always exposed to timber, due to the nature of our father’s work, and we’ve grown even more connected to this material after taking over the business,’ says Morgan of the studio’s work with timber. ‘No two pieces of timber are the same, which contributes to the uniqueness of each piece of furniture or object we create. We’ve used American white oak, walnut, ash and maple in our work; American timbers are easy and pleasant to work with due to their high quality and predictability.’

After seven years spent focusing on bespoke furniture and objects, Roger&Sons has two new priorities: launching a new retail line, and inspiring the next generation of designer-makers.

Family businesses can suffer from frayed relationships when personal and professional relationships mix, but the close bond between the three brothers has remained strong, and their relationships have blossomed. While Roger Yeo passed away in 2013, his work and passion for timber and sustainable design continues to live on through the work of Morgan, Lincoln and Ryan.
 
Images / Courtesy of Roger&Sons

This story is a case study demonstrating the performance benefits of American hardwoods around the globe, published by American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). AHEC is the leading international trade association for the US hardwood industry, representing the committed exporters among American hardwood companies and all the major US hardwood product trade associations. For over 25 years, AHEC has been at the forefront of international wood promotion, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for American hardwoods and providing technical advice for manufacturers, specifiers and designers around the world.

The Roger&Sons-designed custom wine cellar in American white oak