Desmond Lim
Shophouse studios and Peranakan craft, block by block
Based in Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore design and shopping writer walking the shophouse ateliers and independent studios, from Tiong Bahru boutiques to Peranakan tile-makers and Joo Chiat craft.
Latest stories
Tiong Bahru, Singapore: Art Deco mornings, hawker queues and café life
Singapore’s oldest surviving housing estate is still a slow, low-rise world of curved 1930s walk-ups, hawker classics and bakery queues that start before breakfast is done.
Sentosa, Singapore: engineered fun, beach clubs and big-ticket days out
A full-day island escape where theme parks, reclaim sand beaches, oceanfront dining and sunset shows all sit a monorail ride from the city.
Orchard Road, Singapore: the shopping mile that hides its best stories one street back
Singapore’s headline retail strip is loud, polished and gloriously practical — but its real pleasures are in the Peranakan lanes, serious dining rooms and heritage bars just off the main drag.
Marina Bay, Singapore: the postcard front of house
Singapore’s most polished waterfront loop is all spectacle and no shame about it: towers, gardens, light shows and rooftop drinks, best taken in on foot after dark.
Little India, Singapore: Serangoon Road’s Loud, Living Heart
A street-level wander through Singapore’s oldest ethnic quarter, where biryani, temples, garlands and 24-hour commerce still run on local time.
Katong & Joo Chiat, Singapore: Peranakan Streets, Laksa, and Late-Night Appetite
Singapore’s eastern heritage quarter is where pastel shophouses, Peranakan craft and the city’s best eating still share the same low-rise streets.
Kampong Gelam, Singapore: Heritage, Murtabak and Murals
A walk through Singapore’s old Malay-Arab quarter, where Sultan Mosque, century-old kitchens, textile traders and shophouse bars still share the same small grid.
Civic District, Singapore: White Facades, River Walks and the City’s Ceremonial Heart
A walk through Singapore’s grand civic core, where colonial monuments, heavyweight museums and rooftop drinks share the same compact, highly photogenic patch of city.
Chinatown, Singapore: hawker smoke, temple bells and shophouse nights
A block-by-block walk through Singapore’s most layered quarter, where Michelin-cheap hawker food, old temples and shophouse bars sit a few minutes apart.
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