Few store revamps take our breath away like MUJI’s epic Global Flagship Store upgrade — and we mean it literally too, as the beautiful store is now more than double its original size, which means, yes, it’s quite the workout to traverse through 38,400 square feet of floor space. Not what we mind!
You see, the refreshed MUJI Plaza Singapura, which opened its doors earlier in November, is now bigger and better than ever, giving us more of what we love from the Japanese lifestyle brand in one convenient space. And with more than 3,000 products over 15 departments, it also earns the distinction of being Southeast Asia’s largest flagship store.
We could hardly contain our excitement during a tour of the store just before its opening, where we got to look at its fresh line-up of goods and exclusive concepts — including home renovation services, refresh zones, and community spaces — only available at the new spot.
You’ll find apparel, home items and storage solutions, and food, which should already be familiar to regular MUJI shoppers, now with the debut of an Everyday Good Price section, while the beloved Café&Meal MUJI has an expanded seating capacity for us to enjoy deli sets and their current festive menu.
Ahead, we give you a quick low-down on what you need to know, and coincidentally, what we love, about the MUJI’s revamped store at Plaza Singapura.
1. MUJI Plaza Singapura is the biggest Global Flagship Store in Southeast Asia.
For an island nation this tiny, we can be proud of being MUJI’s chosen location for a Global Flagship Store that’s the biggest across the region of Southeast Asia, thanks to an expanded store space where we can find a bountiful selection of MUJI goods.
Fans of the brand will recognise MUJI for its inviting interiors, complete with rustic wooden beams across the ceiling and warm lighting for a cosy feel. The new store feels pretty much like that, though we noticed the wider corridors that make the store feel more spacious than before.
The store also features a more comprehensive selection of Men’s and Ladies’ wear, which are often staples if you’re looking for quality and understated essentials, while exclusive offerings include Maternity wear, as well as Kids & Baby innerwear and sleepwear. To note: the MUJI Walker series, designed for our hot weather, with activewear elements ideal for light exercises and outdoor walks, while still being versatile for everyday wear.
And then there’s MUJI Labo, our personal favourite series from their apparel line, which gives us sophisticated unisex clothing made from premium materials; these are designed with minimalist, clean lines in mind, and definitely appeal to simplicity-loving individuals and their wardrobes.
Apart from wear and homeware, MUJI’s food section — beloved for its range of snacks and easy-to-cook curries and sauces — now includes frozen food, in particular, over 30 convenient meal kits that include smoked salmon, four-cheese pizza, simmered mackerel, cream daifuku and more, all for us to savour at home.
Of course, Café&Meal MUJI continues its presence at the Plaza Singapura store, so we’re still able to enjoy nutritious and seasonal deli sets at a newly-expanded space that seats 94 people at full capacity. Don’t forget to check out their festive cakes as well, of the Hojicha Cherry Chocolate Roll, Matcha and Mandarin Orange Swiss Roll, and other beautifully-decorated sweet treats.
See the current menu here.
2. The debut of a new and exclusive concept — MUJI Renovation.
If you’ve always dreamed of a MUJI home, it’s now possible with MUJI Renovation, a tailored planning service that includes everything from renovation and lighting design, to home furnishing, where experts will design your space to suit your tastes and needs.
The debut of this concept in Singapore is an exciting one, since Singaporeans probably share similar concerns with Japanese home owners, from the need to design functionally for small spaces to our collective love for de-cluttering and a minimalist aesthetic, which are quite quintessentially MUJI’s core principles as well.
Over at the Plaza Singapura store, we’re able to envision what this home can look like, as they’ve set up a nice display space modelled after a 4-room HDB showflat, a realistic 1,045 square feet of a living room, dining room, kitchen, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Walking through it in person, you’ll definitely get a sense of how the MUJI designers have effectively made use of sleek cabinets to close off less sightly appliances, or chosen to use shelves to their advantage, as a means for storage and a way to display precious knick knacks that give the space personality; this is along with MUJI’s streamlined furniture and soft furnishings, everything from dining tables and sofas to fresh linen sheets.
For new home owners, the process of dreaming up a home is made less tedious since you’re now able to work with MUJI designers on items such as how to efficiently design the home and maximise its space; storage planning and how to optimise it for easy maintenance; planning a home for the long-term in order to cater to different stages of life; and how to prioritise good-quality materials and timeless designs to reduce extensive carpentry work.
And yes, like most interior design firms, they will do on-site consultations, deliver on 2D and 3D design proposals, give a final quotation, and execute the project and renovation works to completion as well. More information MUJI Renovation.
3. An expanded Home Section, Refresh Zones, and other exciting new additions to the space.
Fancy a relaxing break while shopping? The new MUJI store is so spacious that they’ve decided to make it more welcoming too, with Refresh Zones, where you’ll find green walls of real plants in the middle of the store, alongside a small seating area where one can find brief respite. There’s even a self-serve coffee station and water point conveniently located next to MUJI Renovation’s HDB Show Flat, where you may top up your water bottles or enjoy a fresh cup of joe.
Along with the new store layout arrives a refreshed home section too, which takes MUJI’s furniture out of the catalogue and into real-life sets where we’re able to properly visualise how a bed or table might look in a space, or, say, test out how soft and truly comfortable the fan-favourite Beads Sofa really is before (inevitably) getting it for the home. It’s here that we often find inspiration too, especially given how limitless the options are for their popular modular shelves, where you can fit in all sorts of wooden storage boxes, drawers, tin containers and more that fit just right within their neat squares.
Then, there’s MUJI IDÉE, a sophisticated line of original furniture and interior design goods which often sees designer collaborations. Our wishlist item this season has to be the Mini Puuf, a mini floor cushion designed by Shigeki Fujishiro with a silhouette inspired by mountains.
Another lesser-known feature, but one that’s good to note, is how MUJI Singapore has now set up recycling bins within the store, to facilitate the collection of items like PET bottles, bottle caps, used garments, and fabric for recycling and upcycling purposes. This is a collaborative project with local charity organisation Zero Waste SG, starting with a 6-month trial on the collection of bottle caps to explore a potentially new waste stream for polypropylene (PP) recycling.
4. MUJI’s focus on community and collaborations — with concepts such as Open MUJI, a MUJI Community Market, and products from local companies.
In the spirit of creating meaningful connections and bringing communities together, MUJI Plaza Singapura has several new spaces that spotlight their handpicked collaborators, starting with Open MUJI, an exhibition space set aside to showcase works by local creatives, or workshops that facilitate learning and discussions on art and culture.
This season, they’ve welcomed a ‘MUJI RE-inspire Exhibition’, done in collaboration with Raffles College of Higher Education in order to give new life and purpose to old or used products. Take a peek and you’ll be inspired by how discarded materials can be transformed into new forms, including chic bags made from fabric scraps, or indigo tie-dyed clothes; the exhibition runs now all the way to 21 January 2024.
The much-welcome MUJI Community Market is now a permanent feature at the store too, and is home to products from lesser-known Japanese regions. Those curious about these goods and produce can currently turn to Japan’s Ehime prefecture, known as the “citrus kingdom”, of items such as sake, marmalade, tea, and syrup, alongside unique craft items such as wine bottle holders made using Japanese mizuhiki knots, and Tobe Yaki ceramic ware. Other regular offerings from various parts of Japan include Japanese rice, dried vegetables like radish leaves and sliced burdock, Japanese tea and more pottery.
We were also pleasantly surprised to find that the Japanese retailer is also reppin’ some local brands on their shelves, especially those that align with the brand ethos on sustainability and green practices. At the store, we spotted Mama Shop‘s ecohusk lunch boxes, Chopvalue‘s modern accessories made using upcycled chopsticks, and Arthur Zaaro‘s wooden cutting boards that give Singapore’s fallen trees and branches a second life.
Most prominently though, is a display of Ascent Bikes, whose urban bikes are crafted with high-quality aluminium and carbon materials, in a range of exclusive colours too for daily commutes or leisurely rides.
5. The Everyday Good Price section!
Now, this is worth a browse. To help us expand our own collection of sustainable everyday essentials, MUJI has curated and placed all their value-for-money items in one dedicated section of ‘Everyday Good Price’ goods that are reasonably-priced and under $10.
Here, you’ll find items that span across various categories, including cotton buds and aroma stones from the Health & Beauty department, stationery items of notebooks, translucent pencil cases and recycled paper passport memos, and even essential home and lifestyle goods such as hand towels and cleaning tools, aesthetically-pleasing buckets included. We won’t spoil you though — just head on over to discover these unexpected finds yourself!
The MUJI Global Flagship Store is located at Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, #01-10 to 22. Opening hours: 10am to 10pm. More about MUJI, here.
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