just thought I’d share with you this cute little shop I chanced upon with a friend after brunch at the clarke quay area. this is a surprisingly large hardware store in the central mall that stems from hong kong, and carries loads of kitschy asian houseware, design items and general bits-and-bobs-you-don’t-quite-need.
hong kong and singapore have pretty similar growth patterns – densely-populated cities with a chinese majority, as well as a legacy left by the british. so even though the items here are sourced for being integral to their cultural legacy, many of the things here are easily relatable to locals like myself. old biscuit tins and crockery laid out with an eye to modern design and attitudes, it seems to give new lease to old-style (or vintage, if you would prefer a more romantic denotation) items that most of us have abandoned in light of the more currently popular european design.
the christmas tree made out of mahjong tiles – mahjong is a popular asian game that involves tiles embossed with chinese character (can’t explain more than that since I don’t play) – is going to date this visit and tell you how far behind I am in posts, but no matter. this is a pretty shop with retro-vintaged items that seems to want to bring them into contemporary life, at contemporary prices (no penny shop items here) – and possibly worth a look if you’re up for a spot of nostalgia and/or redecorating.
andmorefood 