His Golden Opportunity | Furniture Talk with GoldenHome CEO and Founder, Sean Zen Pan

From its consumer-conscious design philosophy to its ambitious global expansion strategy, CEO and Founder Sean Zen Pan gave his illuminating insight into GoldenHome’s pleasant universal appeal

Words | Monisha Sivanesan
Images | GoldenHome Malaysia Sdn Bhd

A leading provider of high-end integrated kitchen cabinets and customised home solutions, GoldenHome recently made a huge splash on our shores through the kick-off of its 10,000-square-foot flagship store in Petaling Jaya. Among those in attendance was Sean Zen Pan, the company’s dedicated CEO and founder who flew all the way from the motherland to not only make a special appearance but also to officiate the launch itself.

This milestone not only signifies the brand’s physical presence in the country, but also its dedication to raising industry standards by providing Malaysian homeowners and design professionals access to world-class cabinetry solutions that are sustainably produced and intelligently designed.

The man who also holds leadership positions at multiple associations and foundations involved in education, cultural promotion and economic development founded GoldenHome in 1999 in Xiamen, China and has since led it to phenomenal global growth. Today, it has nearly 4,000 high-end retail stores around the world and a public listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

After decades of extensive growth in the region’s market, including major partnerships with national real estate developers, he successfully steered the company to expand internationally with production and sales in global markets such as North America, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Under his helm, the company currently manufactures its furnishings in China and beyond its borders, namely Thailand, Malaysia and the US.

In celebration of the company’s first flagship showroom in Malaysia, Pan kindly sat down with us and dove deep into the extensive world of GoldenHome — what makes it special and what keeps it going even stronger than the year before. From its consumer-conscious design philosophy to its ambitious global expansion strategy, plenty of golden nuggets were shared, alongside his own personal thoughts on them peppered in between.

What makes GoldenHome so advantageously unique?

At GoldenHome, we emphasise precise craftsmanship, cutting-edge design and customised solutions; from superior manufacturing and aesthetic innovation to tailored lifestyle enhancements, this philosophy defines our product design ethos. Ultimately, our goal is to provide consumers with high-quality, trend-forward, eco-friendly and functional products that enhance their pursuit of a better life. After all, we believe in creating timeless yet personalised spaces that inspire while remaining effortlessly liveable.

In terms of aesthetics and lifestyle trends, we consistently develop designs that align with the latest market preferences. For example, when European and American styles dominated the industry, we swiftly launched products tailored to those trends. As demands shifted toward minimalism, contemporary or New Chinese styles, we introduced corresponding collections too. In recent years, trends like French Provincial, French Country and Chinese Vintage (inspired by the Song Dynasty) have gained popularity in China, and once again, we’ve led the industry with well-received designs fundamentally centred around our interpretation of ‘Elevated Living’.

Another strength lies in our deep understanding of evolving lifestyles. For instance, when designing kitchen spaces, we collaborated with Tsinghua University to study ergonomic efficiency, leading to the development of custom-fit cabinetry tailored to users’ heights and cooking habits. Beyond kitchens, we have introduced the following: the modular 1-square-metre home gym, integrated pet care cabinets, smart housekeeping storage systems and even gaming or e-sports stations. By blending cutting-edge materials, ergonomic research and customisable solutions, we don’t just create furniture; we craft experiences that resonate with consumers’ lives.

Which product series do you believe best represents GoldenHome’s unique competitive edge?

One of our most successful products over the years would undoubtedly be our high-gloss lacquer finish series. From the company’s early days, we adapted automotive-grade paint for our home furnishings. Despite the high cost of using premium automotive refinish paint, the exceptional quality won overwhelming consumer acclaim, setting an industry benchmark. One of our lacquer-finished products alone achieved over 1 billion RMB in sales, earning both critical praise and commercial success. Even today, it remains GoldenHome’s most recognised and word-of-mouth recommended product.

In your opinion, though, what is one GoldenHome item that everyone should have?

It’s the 1-Square-Metre Gym Series, where the potential of compact spaces is redefined, merging fitness, storage and social interaction into a single square meter. By blending next-gen fitness needs with smart storage solutions, this innovation transforms overlooked corners into multifunctional hubs. It represents our aim to reimagine health, lifestyle and spatial efficiency; integrate home fitness into six core living spaces (living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, balconies and closets); and empower users to enjoy efficient workouts at home, boosting happiness and meeting modern demands for versatile living.

How about your own personal favourite piece?

If I had to choose one standout, it would be the YX Series. Apart from offering a multitude of versatile colours and premium textures, it exceeds industry standards with sustainable materials for healthier living and features GoldenHome’s proprietary 22-step coating process to ensure long-lasting beauty and functionality.

What can you tell us about the brand's latest collection?

The concept of TARGA, our latest collection, revolves around the theme “Crafting Whole-Home Solutions with Luxury Car DNA, Delivering Extraordinary Living Experiences.” It integrates the streamlined structures of classic luxury cars and their lustrous metallic paints into home design, offering consumers a new kind of high-end living experience.

With consumer demands becoming increasingly personalised and the market environment rapidly evolving, what innovative measures has GoldenHome taken in product R&D to meet consumers’ individualised needs?

Firstly, we offer a wide range of personalised colour choices with the help of our own Colour Research Centre which releases trending colours every year. The lacquer-finished product is characterised by its ability to be fully customised according to the consumer’s preferences, providing maximum flexibility in colour and style selection. Secondly, GoldenHome provides tailored, functional products catering to the specific needs of various lifestyles to satisfy all sorts of consumer groups.

In addition, we’re expanding internationally, adopting a “One Country, One Strategy” approach for each key target market. We conduct localised R&D to develop exclusive products based on the specific demands of consumers in each region or country. For example, since GoldenHome has now entered Malaysia, we’ve curated special design elements, such as customised handles and product designs, specifically for this market.

In recent years, Chinese companies have shown a diversified trend in global expansion, and we’ve noticed GoldenHome’s frequent moves in overseas markets. Could you provide an overview of the strategy taken?

Our globalisation strategy actually began over a decade ago. After conducting market research and surveys overseas, we recognised the vast potential of international markets—especially when considering that while China’s market was still in a rapid growth phase at the time, such high-speed expansion couldn’t last forever. We asked ourselves: where will GoldenHome’s future growth come from? To prepare for the long term, we began proactively exploring overseas markets as a key growth driver. Believing GoldenHome to be well-suited for international markets, we decided to bring high-quality Chinese manufacturing to the world, combining our corporate strengths with entrepreneurial ambition.

Our overseas expansion primarily targets major markets, including North America (the U.S. and Canada), Australia and Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand). Having achieved significant success in this step, we are now setting up satellite factories in these markets by combining our large-scale production base in mainland China to deliver the best possible products and services. GoldenHome’s global expansion isn’t just about exporting products; it’s also about exporting manufacturing capabilities, marketing strategies and brand influence.

The industry has shown great interest in GoldenHome’s co-sharing showroom model pioneered in Malaysia. What commercial value does this innovative model offer?

Before we get into that, here’s how it works: We directly invest in establishing a large-scale flagship store/showroom, then recruit multiple partners—entrepreneurs who may lack the capital or confidence to invest independently—that can leverage the resources of our co-sharing showroom, allowing them to focus on what they do best: customer service and marketing. They can expand their client base and deliver services with the support of our shared infrastructure. The co-sharing showroom in Malaysia is GoldenHome’s first of its kind overseas, and we believe this innovative concept is critical to the brand’s global strategy.

While standalone retail stores have been our core channel in China from the very beginning, we recognised that many international partners and distributors are hesitant or cautious about retail models due to their complexity, heavy reliance on service and intricate operational workflows. Therefore, with great confidence in this model, we’re making initial investments and setting up these “light-asset, low-investment” showrooms. By doing so, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to join us as partners, enabling them to launch their businesses with minimal risk.

Since its soft opening two months ago, the Malaysian store has proven to be a hit; we’ve already welcomed numerous partners to collaborate under this shared platform. Moving forward, we plan to replicate this approach across multiple countries, accelerating its rollout globally to bring GoldenHome’s collaborative retail vision to more markets.

Final words about the launch of the Malaysian flagship showroom, and GoldenHome's key message to our Malaysian audience?

The opening of our Malaysian flagship showroom marks an exciting milestone in bringing GoldenHome’s vision of ‘Custom Home Solutions’ to this vibrant market. On that note, our message to the Malaysian audience is clear and simple: we’re here to help you design spaces that reflect your unique taste while offering unmatched quality and innovation. Welcome to the GoldenHome family — where your dream home becomes a reality.

For more information, please visit

GOLDENHOME MALAYSIA SDN BHD | www.goldenhome.my