Joinery floor
Five carpenters working solid-timber frames, dovetailed drawer carcases and timber-face details. Lead carpenter Encik Razali has been with the workshop since the Klang days.
2012 — beginnings
From a converted shop-lot in Klang to a dedicated atelier
Dawnplex began as the side project of a third-generation upholsterer who had spent two decades in Klang building white-label sofas for European retail brands. The work was good but the rhythm was unforgiving — long production runs, identical pieces, no contact with the people who would actually sit on them.
The first Dawnplex showroom was a converted lot off Jalan Meru in 2012. Three years later the team had outgrown it and the atelier moved north to a purpose-fitted unit in Bukit Beruntung, where it has been ever since.
We took on our first commercial fit-out in 2015 (twenty-four banquette seats for a French bistro in TTDI) and have completed thirty-four hospitality projects in the years since — alongside more than one thousand seven hundred residential commissions.
Materials
Timber that has earned the right to be furniture
Every length of solid timber that arrives at the workshop is logged, stickered and kiln-dried again before it goes anywhere near a chisel. Most pieces leave us with a moisture reading between nine and twelve percent — the band that stays calmest through Malaysia’s humidity swings.
The mainstays are nyatoh and kembang semangkok, both sustainably harvested under MTCC certification. We also work with reclaimed cengal salvaged from the old godown rebuilds in Penang, and with imported European oak for clients who specifically want a paler grain.
- Kiln-dried twice on premises — once at the timber yard, once before joinery
- FSC and MTCC-traced sources for all virgin timber
- Reclaimed cengal available on request for one-off projects
- European oak, walnut and ash for paler-grain commissions
The team
Three disciplines, one floor
Frames, upholstery, polish — the three crafts that make a piece of furniture — all live in the same building. It is the single biggest reason our quality control holds together.
Upholstery floor
Six upholsterers covering everything from eight-way hand-tied seat decks to deep-buttoned chesterfield arms. Two specialise in vintage restoration.
Polish & finish
Two finishers in a dedicated booth handling oil, wax, lacquer and PU finishes. Hand-rubbed final coats only — never sprayed straight onto bare timber.
What we believe
Furniture should outlast a renovation
A sofa we build today should still be in service when the third coat of paint goes on the living-room wall. Reupholstery, not replacement, is the goal.
A client conversation is part of the build
We invite visits at frame stage and at upholstery stage. Better to redirect a decision early than to find a misalignment after delivery.
Pricing should be a quote, not a guess
Quotations itemise materials, hours and finish so you understand exactly what you are paying for — and where there is room to trim if a budget shifts.
The atelier is open by appointment
Walk-ins are welcome but a booked visit lets us pull samples ahead of time and show the build floor properly.
Schedule an atelier visit