The Singaporean Black & White
I realised I've never really mentioned it before, but I'm actually from Singapore! We're in the very heart of Southeast Asia, you may have seen us in Crazy Rich Asians, or maybe you know us as the no chewing gum or no homo place but either way, today I thought I'd share with you a classic Singaporean building, the Black & Whites.
Singapore was once a British colony (1819-1963), and while here, the British built many forts, garrisons and barracks (not that any of those helped against the Japanese since the British surrenderedš¤”). They also built many fancy houses for themselves cos of course they would. These are all loosely and broadly known as Black & Whites, built anywhere from the 1810s to the 1930s, and regardless of their function, due to their distinct black painted timber beams and white plaster brick walls, a colour scheme that extends to most other exterior finishings of the structure.
If you've ever travelled to the region, or to Singapore specifically, you might recognise instantly the standard combination of the black and white aesthetic, Traveller's Palms, terracotta floors, bamboo blinds, wooden shutters and wooden balustrades, all staples of the mish mash Singapore genre. To be fair, there's some historical baggage in these homes, but all in all, they are still stately looking buildings, and I'm quite fond of them.
The buildings were often located in coastal or hilltop areas, and today, those that weren't torn down are ironically expensive homes, or are fancy heritage hotels or restaurants. For all intents and purposes, the building is European in its use of space, but borrows extensively from local Malay aesthetics and homebuilding wisdoms to stay cool in the tropical climate. The buildings also feature combination hipped and gabled roofs, which is a prominent roof style in Asia.
The interesting thing about these houses is that often, because European furniture and builders were often less readily available, the interiors often featured a casual mix of Western, Indian and Chinese finishes and furniture, the latter two of which were more easily attainable, along with local Malay stylings like the use of rattan. The use of regional woods like teak, mahogany and meranti was also widespread. The eclectic mix of styles over time became a staple of the Singaporean aesthetic, which is admittedly a very elegant mix of the best that every culture on the island can offer. An analogy of the island nation itself, I suppose.
Southeast Asia receives surprisingly little representation anywhere, (Disney's Raya doesn't count), not that anyone here in the region legitimately cares too much, but I thought it would be interesting to just share this project. This lot will be a hotel, and has 12 rooms. It's called Villa Samsadhi.
I love my country, and the many things past and present that make it the way it is. I hope you've enjoyed this little sharing, I would also really like to showcase a pre-war Singaporean Shophouse but I fear I might end up creating a whole hood just to do it, knowing me. But let me know if that's something you'd like to see!
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