SINGAPORE — A visual cacophony surrounds me as I stroll along historic Telok Ayer St., admiring the area’s legendary shophouses. Each is decorated with brightly coloured shutters and their lush gardens overflow with tropical plants and flowers that come in a kaleidoscope of hues.
The psychedelic assault on the senses is overwhleming. The riot of colours even extends into the small markets that line the side streets of this Chinatown neighbourhood, where the first arrivals to Singapore settled in the early 1800s.
However, the shophouses, which originally combined commercial space and private residences, are the main draw in this area.
The small, narrow terraced homes come in a variety of primary colours and are unique to Asia. Recent restoration of these heritage buildings has made them even more attractive — taking them back to their original beauty. The tourists especially like the vivid shutters, which were added to block out the relentless sun and heat that regularly engulfs Asia’s most beautiful city.
The shophouse architecture features a combination of Chinese, Malay, Peranakan (mixed Chinese/Indonesian locals) and European styles and first appeared in the 1840s, around the time Sir Stamford Raffles arrived and put Singapore under British rule.

Above: The streets of old Singapore are a riot of colour thanks to the brightly-painted shophouse shutters.

Construction continued up until the 1960s, but many were neglected and fell into disrepair. Shortly after, the restoration work began and the transformation of the original humble family abode into today’s extravagant mansions, costing upwards of $10 million (Cdn), began in earnest.
The attractive shophouses are generally two and three-storeys high with clay-tile roofs and built in contiguous blocks with common party walls. Most feature a sheltered pedestrian walkway at the front.
The original shophouse interiors were simple — the lower front area was reserved for customers and inventory; the upper levels used as living quarters that were sparsely furnished. Now, most have been lavishly redesigned and redecorated by some of Singapore’s most noted interior designers.
Some shophouses are more significant than others. Like the one at 157 Neil Rd., known as Baba House, which is bathed in electric blue and adorned with an array of Chinese phoenixes and peonies. This former home of a wealthy shipping merchant is considered the most beautiful of the estimated 6,500 shophouses left in Singapore.

Above: Singapore's black and white houses, built by rich British businessmen, are equally important to the city's history.

The rows of shophouses along Koon Seng Rd. supply tourists with a visual delight that can’t be matched anywhere else in the world. This stunning collection is adorned with ceramic Peranakan floral motifs, geometrical tiles, pastel hues and Chinese couplets, which are said to bring good fortune.
The shophouses even spill over into Singapore’s famous Little India district. Here they come decorated with animal and floral motifs, Spanish glazed tiles and Malay eaves. The area’s most treasured is the House of Tan Teng Niah — the last surviving Chinese villa in Little India.
A trip down the Singapore River on one of the city’s famous bump boats leads you to Clarke Quay where a colourful collection of shophouses in the Teochew style rise along the north shore. The neighbouring brick warehouses have all been outfitted with shutters and the sight is quite breathtaking. Most of the shophouses in this area have been turned into chic bars, pubs and seafood restaurants.
Not to be outdone, the city’s black and white houses, which were built by British industrialists to show off their wealth, are equally popular with tourists.
Built in the Victorian style, the grand black and white bungalows get their name from the dark timber beams and whitewashed walls that were prevalent in their construction.

Above: Singapore's ultra-modern skyline remains one of the most dynamic in the world.

Tropical and Art Deco elements dominate the interior designs of these regal homes that sit on elevated platforms —the British wanted to distance themselves from the menacing tropical insects that thrive here.
These beautiful homes left over from the colonial era also feature large verandas, high ceilings, overhanging roofs and open-concept layouts in order to keep cool air circulating.
Singapore truly is an architectural fantasyland. Besides the shophouses and equally famous black and white houses, the city also features one of the most modern and dynamic skylines in the world.
Singapore is a place you must visit to truly appreciate.