Shophouses in Singapore: What's your type?

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Driving past shophouses in Singapore, we may see them as ornamental heritage pieces in a horizon of HDBs, skyscrapers, and construction sites. Many see them as just two- to three-story buildings with commercial activities below and residential spaces on top.

You might be surprised to learn, then, that shophouses were incredibly diverse in purpose and aesthetics. In a city that remakes itself each year, it’s easy to forget the lives these buildings held—and the values and aspirations they stand for today.

Shophouses come in different flavours, though telling them apart can be hard. After all, their visual styles have borrowed so much from one another over the years. The Urban Redevelopment Authority—Singapore’s chief authority in shophouse conservation—identifies six broad groups of shophouses, each with its own substyles.

Shophouse styles in Singapore

The Early, Late, and Transitional shophouse styles (1900s - 1940s) #

Fashioned with attap and timber, the earliest shophouses were built by new immigrants from Southern China. These working class labourers and their families packed into the upper floor above the shops, many in present-day Clarke Quay.

As Singapore's economic viability boomed, its shophouses became more ornate each year, buoyed by market confidence and population growth—which surged from 100,000 to 500,000 between 1871 and 1931. Shophouses transformed from sparse, squat shapes to elegant, expressive styles with decorative plaster and tiling.

This aesthetic peaked in the Late Shophouse Style (also known as the Chinese Baroque Style). You can see its resplendent palettes and glazing in shophouses on Trengganu Street, Mosque Street, and Lorongs 24 and 34 in Geylang.

A thriving entrepot, Singapore drew Chinese, European, and Southeast Asian migrants—a new style described as “Singapore eclectic” emerged from their interactions. Greek and Roman motifs (arches, columns, balustrades, and parapets) began to adorn shophouse façades, sharing space with indigenous Malay vernacular architectural features suited to the tropical climate, such as roof eaves and louvre-shaded windows. The inhabitants of the shophouses—mostly Chinese migrants still rooted to their heritage—graced their façades with motifs depicting classical Chinese mythology or Chinese characters, expressing the values they themselves sought to emulate.

The Peranakan Chinese were an especially prominent group. Having migrated to Southeast Asia in the 1500s and intermarried with the local Malays, the Peranakans had more time to accumulate wealth; they lived very differently from the poorer migrants of the 1900s. Peranakan shophouses pre-dating sovereign Singapore’s borders can be found all over the historic Straits area. Some of the best-preserved ones sit on Emerald Hill and Neil Road.

In these Peranakan households, men and women lived separately—though they did similar activities, such as dining and playing the cherki card game—and their internal spaces were shaped around these customs. Men socialised in the front of the house, while women did chores in the back. Girls, hidden from public view, glimpsed the world outside through the peeping hole in the second-floor door overlooking the public walkway.

These features reflected the social dynamics of the time and took on lives of their own. Similar to how new Chinese migrants borrowed from Malay and Western European architecture, non-Peranakans remixed and applied the “Peranakan style” to their houses.

The Art Deco style (1930 - 1960) #

The Art Deco style emerged in the post-World War One period, around 1920–1930, a time of optimism and affluence in Singapore. New technologies—cars, ocean liners, airplanes—were reinventing how people lived. The cinema, in particular, allowed many locals to see the rest of the world for the very first time.

Local buildings adopted the curves, lines, modern technological motifs, and aesthetics of other cultures. These include Shanghai plaster walls or flagpoles reminiscent of the Empire State Building.

Ethnic heritage–inspired designs—such as indigenous Malay fenestrations, Chinese patterns, and the use of wood and clay—faded in importance during this time. Geometric designs and man-made materials like glass and steel grew in popularity; many such shopfronts still line South Bridge Road today, where they form a commercial thoroughfare hosting many trade businesses, wholesale and retail merchants, and goldsmith shops.

The place of women in society also changed drastically, as affluence and Western cultural influences grew here. Compared to the largely impermanent male migrant population of the 1800s and early 1900s, Singapore had a settled population for the first time in the 1930s. Despite patriarchal social structures and conservative expectations, women began to be educated and got jobs, mainly in retail, book keeping, nursing, and teaching. They wore Western celebrities’ hairstyles and chose from modern trends circulating in cosmopolitan Singapore.

Most Singaporeans shopped at outdoor street stalls along the five-foot ways outside shophouses and in markets. Iconic Art Deco departmental stores such as Aurora, Peking, Metro, and High Street were particularly busy. Although the English-educated middle class was still small, and most of them lived in filthy, crowded situations, their inability to afford these goods didn’t stop their enthusiastic browsing. Many fondly recall the vibe and buzz of people wandering in and out of these shophouses, consuming ice cream from Cold Storage and locally brewed beer.

The modern style (1950 - 1960) #

Much changed with the Japanese occupation, World War 2, and the collapse of the British Empire. Like colonies elsewhere, Singapore saw a spurt of self-determination movements and the confidence to throw off colonial standards. After the initial anxieties around independence, the zeitgeist turned towards optimism, verve, and nation-building. Local architects, newly returned from overseas, questioned colonial standards and built for local sensibilities instead, resulting in the “Singapore modernism” style.

Compared to art deco, this period was more stark in its simplicity and raw edges. Aesthetic movements of the time, such as Bauhaus and Brutalism, favoured functionalism—“form follows function” was its utilitarian motto.

The post-war population boom prompted the creation of the Housing Development Board (HDB), to accelerate the work of its predecessor the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). While some elements of SIT’s modernist aesthetics remained—flat roofs, white paint, Cubist structures, and horizontal ribbon windows—HDB flats were far taller. Tall cuboid buildings made of concrete could hold many households, making housing more efficient and cost effective. As HDB flats multiplied, alongside new schools and community centres, the modernist aesthetic spread throughout the island.

Amidst the push towards efficiency in the modern era, vibrant communities continued to exist. For instance, customers might give the shopkeeper their shopping list then return to have it bagged up by the shopkeeper.

Conclusion

Far from being homogenous and unchanging, shophouses expressed the diversity of the populace itself. Those who are attentive know that their aesthetics reveal family quirks, political affiliations, and even mythological beliefs. Singapore’s shophouses tell the stories of a changing nation, its rising prosperity and confidence, and its potpourri society, rich with traditions and inspirations from all over the world.

Some argue that conservation in Singapore, seemingly driven more by tourism than an appreciation of local history, has focused on economic and physical development over social and communal life. As urban development transformed historic zones and displaced existing communities—keeping pace with two centuries of economic and demographic change—many of Singapore’s interwoven cultural practices have vanished with time.

Credits

Editing by Gwyneth Cheng and Kenneth Wee
Illustrations by Griselda Gabriele and Lam Yik Chun
Research by Adhithi.M, Isabella Chua, Lam Yik Chun, Mick Yang
Visualization design by Amanda Teo
Webpage design and development by Sulphur
Writing by Mick Yang