Urban-bohemian, loft-inspired conservation shophouse

Masculine lines and a neutral palette create a city retreat in this conservation shophouse in River Valley. Designed by Irene Toh of Spacious Planners, the home has an urban-bohemian, loft-inspired style to it. Homeowners Sarita Sies and her Slovak husband Michal Tyles decorated with paintings from Indonesia to jazz up the neutral palette. A happy mix of wood and plastic seats surround the dining table, adding variety to the decor. The couple also opted for maximum simplicity with their sparse stainless steel kitchen.

Multi-million dollar Peranakan style conservation shophouse

Rented by Elizabeth Acland and her fiance, this conservation shophouse is every bit as beautiful inside as it is outside. Situated along Emerald Hill, it retains some of its Peranakan heritage in fixtures and architectural features.

The spacious living room is bright and airy, with high ceilings and light-coloured finishes. Soft furnishings and fabrics beautify the home further. A focal point is the beautifully-carved display cabinet built into the wall, which the couple now uses to store their stemware collection.

Refurbished shophouse with a Japanese-Scandi theme

In a corner of Joo Chiat rests this 3,000sqf conservation shophouse – home to Tsok Wui Chong and Catherine Ong Ling of Md.Ma Design Consultants. The double-storey estate has been revamped to give it a contemporary zest without compromising on the beauty of its original architecture. The result: a cross between Japanese and Scandinavian decor amidst vintage tones.

Rocky slabs of bricks and pebbled ground introduce some vibrancy to the quaint corner garden. Rustic bamboo strips add to the Oriental style of the space, and nostalgic, geometric floor tiles balance out the modern finishes.

Two-storey restored shophouse with lots of character and vintage knick knacks

This Joo Chiat shophouse has a clean and contemporary design, layered with organic vintage pieces and decorated with quirky knick-knacks. Despite having vastly different tastes (one being partial to contemporary and colourful, the other preferring vintage), homeowners Eng Kwee and his wife Hwee Min reached a happy compromise with the design of the house. A highlight of the home is the spot beside their pool, lit by gorgeous daylight and cooled by natural ventilation.

Elegant colonial shophouse with modern interiors

The well-balanced look in this colonial shophouse creates a sense of formality, tradition and visual harmony. Restored by local studio Pencil Office, it takes on a decorative and stylish feel. Behind a wooden screen with a chic zig-zag pattern lies an open-concept living room with screed concrete floors and industrial-style brick walls. The living area, which used to be an open-air courtyard, is furnished with the original sculptural murals and wall panelling, coated entirely in white for a modern look.

Also part of the original structure is the brick wall, which the homeowners turned into an art wall. The imposing look of the heritage building is further enhanced by a live-edge wooden table, complemented by vintage-style lamps.

Open-concept shophouse with a white and grey palette

One might feel as if they have stepped into a downtown Manhattan loft when viewing this two-storey shophouse. Owned by fashion and design creative consultant, Cheah Wei Chun, the shophouse is designed to look and feel both like a home and a design studio. With original walls demolished to open up three bedrooms into an open concept space, living space and work space coexists side by side, separated by an existing column.

The colour scheme is predominantly grey and white, with a red accent discussion chair to add a dash of colour to the interior. The home also has a common bathroom that opens out to the air well, creating an outdoorsy feel.

White-washed conservation shophouse

This conservational shophouse along Blair road boasts unique decorative accents and sculptural details, all painstakingly preserved by the authorities, while still managing to look modern, classy and sophisticated.

Redecorated by local firm Ong & Ong, the unit takes on a predominantly white theme throughout, injected with a sense of austerity and serenity. A generous kitchen island greets visitors upon entry, and beyond it, a central courtyard leads into the living spaces behind. Across the courtyard, an airy lounge awaits. By using only shades of white and green throughout the home, the spaces take on an almost meditative, zen-like quality. Furnishing in the home is kept simple, understated and monotoned, and bamboo plants direct the eye upwards, extending the high ceilings and making the place look even more spacious.