Fang Wei Low of Figment is Fully Operational (Shop)Home Proud

My muse not only inspires me to envision the potential of Singapore but also anchors me within my local community.

What a complete triumph. An absolute marvel! I observed her while driving past the corner of a block, unable to refrain from staring through my car's windshield. Based on the number of heads turning, she has undoubtedly caused several accidents by now.

Adorned in exquisite green and purple lace-like frills with a striking crimson pattern framing traditional Chinese themes, my preferred Sim Kwong Ho shophouse in the Balestier area exemplifies the "Singapore Eclectic" style.

A newly painted neon green shophouse, which nearly illuminates the surroundings, can be observed just down the road.

Alternatively, from a vantage point on Emerald Hill, you may have previously observed the striped shophouse reminiscent of a Paul Smith catalog.

Inquire with the tourists photographing the pastel-hued Grand Dames in Joo Chiat, and they will affirm that our Singapore shophouses are very remarkable. I surmise that you have likely had a night out on Club Street or Keong Saik Road, adorned with shophouses lining the route.

These individuals are not ordinary humans. Numerous entities have now been granted conservation status by our urban guardians at the URA and preserved to endure through time — the quintessence of ageless fashion predating our nation's independence.

However, were you aware that it is indeed possible to reside in them? Residential shophouses are quite scarce, and I have meticulously enumerated 857 across Singapore, like to perusing a limited edition Supreme catalog.

Canvas House

I was raised on Blair Road in the Tanjong Pagar neighborhood, near the shophouse where Lee Kuan Yew originally resided. It was a black and white, baroque-style shophouse that scarcely housed our three-generation Chinese household, filled not only with people but also with an array of antiques and art that my parents had collected from various parts of the globe.

For me, these shophouses are primarily residences. I actually favor the term "boutique homes." Boutiques are intimate, exclusive, and design-oriented. Furthermore, these residences are a unique representation of our Singaporean cultural identity.

Consider the facades of the pre-war Chinese Baroque shophouses on Petain Road in Little India, featuring Islamic rain eaves, Japanese-manufactured Peranakan tiles, European-inspired Corinthian pillars, and Chinese "Jian-nian" stuccoes depicting mythological creatures simultaneously.

Indeed, beauty transcends mere superficiality. Her personality extended beyond her exterior allure, despite the contrary opinions of influencers and newlyweds seeking the ideal photographic moment.

There is significantly more occurring internally. I have been fortunate to observe voyeuristic glances of numerous shophouse interiors—consider Roman pools, solariums, and even hanging gardens. The shophouse that served as my childhood residence? I opted to have it redesigned as Figment’s Canvas House in partnership with the esteemed Ministry of Design.

It was absolute and utter creative destruction. Visitors to this repurposed adaptive building are now presented with stunning all-white interiors that evoke reflections on the past, present, and future.

Banda House

The inexorable progression of technology and its unyielding efficiency have resulted in the proliferation of monotonous, uniform glass and steel skyscrapers that appear to be conceived by accountants rather than architects.

In perpetually optimizing rental yields and Gross Floor Area (GFA) for new constructions, our builders appear to prioritize profits and market rivalry over our cultural values.

The recent demolition of Pearl Bank conveys all.

I cannot fathom having endured so many years of Singapore as a vast building site, merely for this?

What impact does residing in replicated condominiums have on us daily? We occupy our residences similarly to how we occupy our garments, vehicles, or the roles and professions we do.

These behaviors impose a certain demand on us and contribute to an identity that may or may not align with our current self-perceptions. Indeed, what is it?

These identities ultimately permeate from the external to the internal, transforming into our new selves. We do not merely execute our responsibilities and reside in our homes daily; we actively internalize and evolve inside them.

Although these shophouses may appear antiquated and inefficient, each serves as a significant artistic creation in its own right. This evokes Dreyfus' concept of "works of art" that emphasize and uphold cultural standards for what constitutes a life worthy of aspiration.

Artworks consolidate techniques to concentrate and express a lifestyle, encapsulating the essence of their reality. Transforming the mundane into the sacred, how invigorating it is to return home at day's end to a shophouse of such distinctive character.

Having met her, I can no longer revert to a life characterized by Singapore Sim City-ism. My muse not only inspires me to envision the potential of Singapore but also anchors me inside my local neighborhood.