Singapore Shophouses Collections

Collection

Blair Plain was named after John Blair, a senior officer with the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company, who owned land in the area and had a substantial house near the port.
With the passing of time and accumulation of wealth, more ornately decorated buildings were constructed along Spottiswoode Park, Everton Road and Blair Road. In the interwar years this neighborhood known as Blair Plain lent itself to residential development. Source : URA, Singapore.
 
Blair Plain Refined Rococo Style Shophouses - 1920’s
 
The Rococo Style remained in vogue until the end of the 1920’s, at which point in time it began to be overtaken by more Modern influences.
Most of the shophouses on Blair Plain date from the early 1920s. They reflect an eclectic mixture of Chinese, Malay and European design elements like the Chinese roof eaves, the Malay style shaped air vents, the European tiles. Together all these shophouses constitute some fine example of the more refined Rococo townhouse style. Source : Book of J.Davison "Singapore Shophouse".

The street architecture of Chinatown's buildings, the shophouses especially, combines different elements of baroque architecture and Victorian architecture and do not have a single classification. Many of them were built in the style of "painted ladies"*, and have been restored in that fashion. These styles result in a variety of different colours of which pastel is most dominant. Trengganu Street, Pagoda Street and Temple Street are such examples of this architecture.
*"Painted ladies" is a term in American architecture used for Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings painted in three or more colours that embellish or enhance their architectural details.
Source : Wikipedia and Urban Redevelpment Authority – URA - Singapore

Chinese Style Shophouse circa 1880-1900

The early Singapore shophouse were a pretty prosaic affair. They may have been some sort of simple molding to mark the transition between the ground floor and the floor above, and an equally modest cornice beneath the eaves. Windows were simple, rectangular.
However, by the last quarter of the 19th century, increasing confidence in Singapore's future prosperity, many wealthy Chinese merchants will consider making Singapore their permanent home, and will start to show off their wealth through their houses, spending much more on decorative features. 
The earliest kind of shophouse embellishment involved mainly traditional Chinese decorative elements. It took the form of stucco reliefs and painted decorative panels depicting traditional themes and auspicious characters – flowers, fruits, birds, acts of filial piety, scenes from folk tales, literature and Chinese opera.
Chinese style canopy roof over the verandah were another popular feature and they were typically surmounted by a decorative frieze comprising a mosaic of colored ceramic shards cemented, known as chien mien, meaning literally "to cut and paste". Source : J.Davison "Singapore Shophouses".

The most striking feature is the narrow yet elaborately embellished front façade, which belies the depth and spaciousness of the residence. This façade design style is unique to the Peranakan Chineses, who were heavily influenced by Malay culture. It brings out their love for splendid stucco façade decorations, fine wood carvings of upstairs balustrades, pintu pagar (door gate), air vents above the windows and fascia boarding of the roof. Fine tiles imported from France, England and Belgium were applied in great profusion to the external walls and the pillars. The various motifs applied on the façades are often derived from mythical figures. Flowers and birds abound, often acting as an accompaniment to the relief stucco decoration  of Chinese motifs such as crabs, deers, dragons and mythical dogs, symbols of happiness, good fortune and long life. A highlight of this style of building would be the cluster at Koon Seng Road.
Source : Urban Redevelpment Authority – URA - Singapore