ExqMagJul18

designpeople
Repurposing
the Historical
Shophouse
You do business and trade on the ground floor.
Residential living is on the upper floors. The
shophouse is an iconic heritage building in Singapore.
With various architectural styles from various eras,
shophouses are laid out in a row with several units fused
together along with a common 5-foot walkway and clay-tiled
roof. You’ll find clusters of conservation status shophouses
in ethnic neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, Little India,
Kampong Glam and Joo Chiat. Many have been repurposed
for modern, contemporary use in food, retail and leisure
accomodation.
Ashish Manchharam has a soft spot for shophouses because
he grew up in one. His youngs days were spent playing with
his neighbours on the Kampong Glam streets and often staying
over for dinner at their homes. Today the owner and managing
director of 8M Real Estate is behind many of Singapore’s
shophouse restoration projects such as Luke’s Oyster Bar &
Chop House, Employees Only Singapore and Birds of a Feather
in the Amoy Street area.
Transforming the shophouse into contemporary usable space is one
of 8M Real Estate’s passions. They recently opened their flexi-stay
hotel Ann Siang House
Manchharam recently unveiled Ann Siang House, a flexi-stay
hotel that was formerly known as The Club. Its stylish interior
spaces went through a reconfiguration design process led by
Flo Sander of iThink Consulting, drawing inspiration from the
surrounding street scenes of Ann Siang Hill and Chinatown.
The 1920s heritage building fuses elements of the past and
the present with spacious rooms flush with natural light and
neighbourhood views. Handmade furniture feature with eclectic
artwork, bold bathtubs and private balconies.
by Carol Kraal
Photographs courtesy of 8m real estate
96 | EXQUISITE
EXQUISITE | 97