Custom Furniture of dining room: A Camp Chair That Stows

Custom Furniture of the dining room should include a camp chair that stows, a folding seat built into the sideboard so you always have one more place at the table without a stack of plastics in the corner. In a 4-room HDB of about 90sqm the dining area is tight, and guests shouldn't mean a scramble for seating.

Why a stow-away seat makes sense here

Most of us eat with two or four people and host maybe once a month. Buying six fixed chairs leaves two parked against the wall most days. A camp chair that folds into the sideboard gives you the sixth seat only when needed, and the room stays open the rest of the time.

It also suits the kids. A lightweight folding chair they can drag out themselves means fewer "Mum, help me" moments at dinner.

How we build it into the cabinet

We carve a shallow vertical slot in the sideboard end, roughly 12cm deep and 45cm wide, with a hinged front that matches the cabinet doors. The chair slides in seat-first and the face closes flush, so you'd never guess a seat lives there.

The chair itself is a plywood frame with a laminate or fabric sling. We keep it under 3kg so anyone can lift it. Add a small rest so it stands on its own when pulled out, no fiddling with loose legs.

Materials that take the knocking

Plywood for the frame is light and tough, the right call for something that gets opened and closed often. A laminate skin matches the sideboard and wipes clean after sticky hands.

Solid wood looks richer but adds weight, and a heavy folding chair defeats the point. Reserve it for the sideboard carcass, not the seat.

MDF is fine for the cabinet face but not the chair, it cracks at the joints with repeated folding.

Laminate on the sling frame keeps things cheerful and easy to wash, handy in a home with young children.

Cost and the build schedule

The stow slot added to a sideboard costs on average S$150 to S$350 on top of the cabinet itself. A standalone custom camp chair runs S$80 to S$200. Small money against the S$30k to S$70k most reno budgets cover.

From measure to install, allow about 6 to 10 weeks as part of the dining carpentry. The slot is cut during the sideboard build, so order it with the rest rather than as an afterthought.

Custom Furniture and your building

Custom Furniture like this is internal and needs no HDB approval. Condo MCST rules don't touch a dining chair either. Just fix the sideboard to the wall if it's tall, so a yank on the chair slot doesn't tip the unit.

For resale, a dining set that seats six yet looks like four is a quiet selling point. Viewers see a clean room and learn it flexes, which plays well with families shopping a 90sqm or 110sqm home.

Think about your last gathering, someone sat on a stool from the kitchen while a proper chair gathered dust. A stowed camp chair ends that. Build it into the sideboard, keep it light, and your dining room stays roomy until the doorbell rings.