We’ve all seen the same interior on our feeds: endless shades of beige, stark, minimalist furniture, and a wabi-sabi inspired sculpture inserted for texture. But the pendulum is swinging away from “Sad Beige Decor” towards a look that’s less about perfection, but more about personality.
This much-awaited shift underpins Castlery’s first-ever designer collaboration. The Singapore-born lifestyle brand unveiled an 18-piece collection designed by global media personality Tan France—a venture that also marks his debut furniture line.
Over 10 seasons as Queer Eye‘s resident fashion authority, France has become known for his instinctive eye for proportion and colour as well as his philosophy that dressing up should be something fun. That same sensibility has translated into his interior style, best seen in his English Tudor-style residence in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“Now that I have children, home means family. It’s the most important thing,” shares France over video call. “When it comes to how I design and fill a space, it’s always stuff that makes me feel something. I’m not the kind of person that’s going to fill my home with things I’ve seen on Instagram. I couldn’t care less what the hottest trend is, as long as it feels like a home and not a showroom. And there’s emotion connected to the pieces that you have in the home.”
Making space for soulima
Since launching in 2013, Castlery has become one of the few homegrown furniture brands to achieve genuine global reach, establishing a presence across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and beyond. For France, the partnership felt instinctive. “I already loved the product offering that they had. I hadn’t felt the product, but I knew the aesthetic aligned with what I wanted and what they stood for,” he shares of how the collaboration came about.
Although France admired Castlery from afar, he wasn’t interested in doing something superficial. “I said, if I’m going to do this, I have to see the product and I have to meet the team. I took that 22-hour flight for two days. I went to the store on Orchard Road and immediately knew that we’re going to do this for sure.”
Spanning sofas, dining tables, accent chairs, rugs, lighting and accessories, the 18-piece collection bears France’s fingerprints throughout. “They were willing to let me truly design and not just put my name on something,” he says. For Castlery co-founder Declan Ee, working together was a true meeting of minds. “There was a shared sense of connection,” he says about the collaboration. “He’s been an amazing person to work with. He’s really embraced Singapore. He came here for the first time and was obsessed with the salted egg croissant from Tiong Bahru Bakery.”
Cultural dialogue
The partnership feels fitting as both Castlery and France are products of a cross-cultural universe. “The fact that it was an Asian brand was really quite enticing to me,” says France. “An Asian brand that was speaking to the western audience.” That sensibility resonated as France has spent his life between worlds—raised in Britain by Pakistani parents before building his own family in the United States.
Over the next 15 months, those shared worldviews and aesthetics evolved into physical pieces. Rather than wearing heritage on its sleeve, the collection folds it into the details: a sideboard with an arched silhouette that references both South Asian and British architecture; handblown glass and carved oak that prioritise craftsmanship. “If you look carefully, my culture is represented,” France explains.
Ultimately, the foundation of the Castlery x Tan France collection is about helping people create a home with character and soul. As algorithms flatten taste into endlessly repeated aesthetics, it’s important that sanctuaries are crafted from memories rather than pinned mood boards. “My home is not trendy and it is not cool. I felt so inspired when I was doing this collection to give the audience a piece of my home so that they could feel like they have something with soul in their home,” he adds.
Much like France himself, the collection has a cheeky, witty streak. Its boldest expression comes in the form of the Anika table lamp, a sculptural handblown glass piece in rich jewel tones. “I love to have a moment within a room that feels playful and whimsical—almost shocking,” he says. “Why not have that be an accessory? It’s not a massive investment; it’s something you can change out relatively easily.” After all, the best homes aren’t just beautiful—they should make you smile.
The Castlery x Tan France Collection is available here and in showrooms across Singapore, New York City, Sydney and Brisbane.
