Singapore furniture company Other Furniture makes armchairs fit for a Pope

SINGAPORE – When Mr Lukas Drasnar first received a call in mid-July about a commission for custom-made teak armchairs, he did not think much of it. 

After all, his company, Other Furniture, has been producing bespoke solid wood furniture for customers in Singapore since 2017. 

It was only when he met his clients a few days later that he realised the armchairs would be used by a very important person – Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, who will be visiting Singapore from Sept 11 to 13.

The visit will be the last leg of a 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, the longest taken by the 87-year-old Argentinian pontiff to date. 

The last time a pope visited Singapore was in 1986, when the late John Paul II made a five-hour stopover here. 

“I was excited to hear that these chairs would be for the Pope. That said, we would still have delivered the same quality even if it was ‘just’ for a church in Singapore,” says Mr Drasnar, 39. Originally from the Czech Republic, he arrived in Singapore 13 years ago to work as an architect.

Mr Drasnar and his team had just five to six weeks to produce a dozen or so armchairs.

While it may be natural to imagine the sovereign of Vatican City ensconced on a grand throne, most photos show him seated on modest but elegant armchairs fashioned from dark wood and upholstered in light neutral tones.

Mr Drasnar worked closely with his clients – members of the local organising committee for the papal visit – to ensure that his design followed the criteria provided by the Vatican. 

“For example, the seat for each armchair has to be placed at a height of 55cm. This is higher than is typical for armchairs, but it makes for more comfortable sitting,” says Mr Drasnar.

Chairs for people of advanced years often come with higher seats as they are easier to get in and out of, especially for anyone with reduced mobility. 

Half the chairs made by Mr Drasnar’s team include a hand-carved crown depicting the official logo of the Pope’s Singapore visit. Engraved on the back of the chairs are the words, “Pope Francis Singapore 2024”. 

“The logo was applied using laser-cutting techniques, but everything else was done by hand by our factory team in Indonesia,” says Mr Drasnar. 

The crowned chairs will be used during formal occasions while the other half will be reserved for more casual use, such as when the Pope is resting at his accommodations. 

“Last I heard is that the chairs have been approved by Vatican officials. I will be keeping an eye on the news to see where they pop up during the Pope’s visit. Perhaps we will see them at Parliament House or at the Istana,” says Mr Drasnar, who delivered the chairs at the end of August – slightly ahead of his early-September deadline. 

The organising committee worked with another furniture-maker to produce the chair that will be used during the Pope’s mass at the National Stadium on Sept 12.

At least two additional chairs were reportedly commissioned from other furniture-makers for other functions related to the Pope’s visit, including the inter-religious meeting at Catholic Junior College on Sept 13.

The project has been a personal highlight for Mr Drasnar, who says: “I am really proud of our team for pulling this off, given the tight timeline.” 

He declines to provide a price tag for the papal armchairs. But a custom-made armchair produced by his company can run into the high three-figures or low four-figures.

He says: “Our custom designs are one of a kind, and we use mainly solid wood like teak rather than plywood. We are able to provide lower prices because our factory is in Indonesia.”

Mr Drasnar came to Singapore in 2011 after completing his university studies in Britain.

Five years later, he started his own company, Other Furniture (

otherfurniture.com

), using his architectural skills and experience to design solid wood furniture in combination with leather, metal and stone. 

The company also sells a selection of ready-made pieces such as benches and sideboards. Some of these are on display at its showroom at Tan Boon Liat Building in Outram Road. 

“We started out making furniture for home owners, but we quickly branched out to working with clients such as restaurants, offices, and even Changi Airport and Acra (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority),” says Mr Drasnar. 

Now a permanent resident here, he is married to a Singaporean who is a senior facility manager with the National Parks Board. They have two children, aged 1½ and 4½.

Mr Drasnar speaks with a distinctly Singlish accent.

“I undertook my undergraduate and graduate studies in the UK, and never adopted a British accent while I was there. But one month in Singapore was all it took before I started talking like a Singaporean,” he quips.

He identifies as a non-practising Christian, but applied for papal mass tickets on behalf of his aunt and uncle. Two tickets were then allocated to them.

“They are practising Catholics and it is my aunt’s 70th birthday. It felt like a special birthday gift, to be able to invite them to fly down to visit me and my family here, and to have them attend the mass,” he says.

“Especially since I can now say that I made a small contribution to this historic visit by the Pope.”