A Writer’s Singapore Apartment Gets a Breezy Refresh

When writer Elwin Chan decided to move out of his family home in Serangoon North, a residential section of Singapore filled with high-rises, he was seeking a stronger sense of community and street life. He was drawn to Tiong Bahru, an area closer to the center of the city that features low-rise Art Deco and International Style blocks built in the 1930s and ’40s.

Though gentrification has transformed many of Tiong Bahru’s mom-and-pop shops into chic cafes, the area’s historic architecture preserves its charm. "I like neighborhoods with character," Elwin says. "I like that I can see people strolling past and watch bustling mornings fade to quiet, lazy afternoons."