Carpentry Is More Than Just Wood

Three brothers have reinvented their late father’s carpentry business into a bespoke furniture company and, more importantly, are aiming for sustainability with their business. We sat down with Ryan Yeo of Roger&Sons to find out more.

Written By: Tawfiq Ismail
Pictures By: Roger&Sons

When Morgan Yeo, 32, Lincoln Yeo, 29, and Ryan Yeo, 25, first took over their late father’s business in 2014, they had to learn the ropes fast and grasp with the nitty gritty details of how the local and regional carpentry industries function.

Collectively known as Roger&Sons, they learnt about the fabrication (wood working) process and how different products are made with wood. It helped uncover so much for the trio – even learning that every country has its own standards and practices when it comes to the fabrication process.

Established as JR & P Industries by Roger Yeo in 1988, the handmade furniture business now specialises in customised and bespoke furniture.

Morgan is the director of the business, Lincoln is the creative director and Ryan, the operations manager.

For Ryan specifically, his job scope is to ensure the day-to-day business is running smoothly and making sure projects are met on time.

“I really do enjoy working with my family. I like the fact that we are a family business – how we treat our colleagues as a family, so there is no hierarchy,” shared Ryan.

“I don’t like being deskbound. I like to work with my hands rather than just be staring at the computer. We have a small team, so it’s comfortable,” Ryan revealed.

Ryan Yeo of Roger&Sons.

The trio has witnessed a perception change in the craft of carpentry.

“I think a lot of people are recognising carpentry as a form of craft and design. More people are keen to buy something or drawn to something that has better design or has more thought given to it. I feel that people nowadays are looking at function over form as well,” Ryan said.

He added that carpenters are taking more pride in their work in the sense that they are spending more time and thought into making sure that their furniture last.

“They don’t just put out a cabinet for the sake of it but for a purpose. For example,  if the cabinet is going to be at your kitchen, what do you want to house or put inside? If I am going to put some spices, then maybe at the bottom I can put something else there. There is a bit more thought and finesse when it comes to designing your fabrication,” Ryan explained.

The company uses a variety of wood, both local and non-local for their custom projects depending on their clients’ needs. They range from a variety of solid wood to plywood but they always recommend local wood whenever the situation allows (with the exception of their recently launched retail furniture which will be focused on using local wood only).

Chopping boards made from the Tembusu tree (also known as the 5-dollar note tree). Tembusu trees are known for their antibacterial properties.

The company is also putting a focus on sustainability. The idea behind The Local Tree Project is to share with the public that there are very pretty trees in Singapore. More importantly, it is crucial to salvage and give them a second life rather than let them go to waste.

“There are about four to five sawmills here, so each sawmill will have about three to four swimming pools full of trees. They are stacked up to five metres high and stored horizontally so you can imagine the vast number of trees that these sawmills have,” Ryan said.

According to a  Straits Times article in March 19, 2017, about 10,000 to 13,000 trees in Singapore could be removed over the next 15 years to make way for urban development.

Ryan shared that these wood types would either be turned into mulch, palettes or exported out.

“Some of these wood types are amazing woods. If you look at our Instagram account, you can have a look at them. My personal favourite is the Angsana.”

Benches from their recently launched online retail site using exclusively Angsana trees.

By “amazing woods”, Ryan was referring to all tree species and not just the Angsana. These tree species have beautiful grain and would make for great furniture products. It’s the beauty and lustre of the timbers that these trees provide, rather than the value of the wood.

The Local Tree Project was started in 2019. The company collaborated on a project with Mandai Development where local trees were being cut down. They thought: “Hey, can we do something about these trees?” This led them to plan on making the trees into furniture.

“We are trying as a company to aim for sustainability. But for us right now, and the situation in Singapore, it is such that we can never be fully sustainable. The best opportunity is to salvage the trees rather than let them go to waste,” said Ryan.

Roger&Sons has been conducting educational talks with schools. They believe it is not just for the current generation but the younger ones to appreciate it as well.

It is their wish to have as many people as possible on board with The Local Tree Project. “Generally we want as many people as possible to be on board as we are under the umbrella of sustainability and achieving carbon-neutral status which we as a company feel it should not only be exclusively for youths but for everybody on earth,” Ryan explained.

 Which is why apart from their bespoke furniture pieces, the company is currently selling smaller items like the kalimba instrument, jenga sets, and in the future chopping boards - all of which are fabricated from our local trees. That way, it gives access to those who want to be a part of the initiative.

Benches at Mandai Zoo, one of their past clients; made using the Rain Tree.

For those interested in joining the industry, Ryan shared:

“Carpentry is not as easy as it seems. However, it is easy to get the ball rolling and get your hands started on it.”

He is also aware of those who are apprehensive about joining the industry, to which he said:

“Don’t be afraid and just follow your heart, if it is really what you want to get into. As long as you are happy and enjoy working with your hands, by all means join. Because you define your own success.”

The trio of brothers Morgan Yeo, Lincoln Yeo & Ryan Yeo.