The colourful facades
Pink, green and blue.
Basile Morin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tabledreamer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0
Koon Seng Road is a street in the Joo Chiat district of eastern Singapore, famous for its rows of colourful Peranakan houses, among the most photographed sights in the city. Visitors come for the pink, green and blue facades, and a short visit is enough. The area forms part of Katong, which lay by the sea before land was reclaimed to the south in the 1960s and 1970s. It was once favoured by the wealthy, who built villas here, and later became a mixed district known for Peranakan cooking and spicy laksa noodle soup. Koon Seng Road and Everitt Road houses are among its recognised conservation icons. Two-storey houses stand behind small gates, each in its own colour, with carved timber shutters, columns, plaster ornament and ceramic tiles at the entrance. They are lived in, so you cannot go inside, but the facades are reason enough to come, especially in soft light. It is 4.7 km in a straight line from the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, reached by metro and bus, and can be added to a food walk in Joo Chiat. Early morning is quieter and best for pictures. Do not stand on doorsteps or at gates, do not photograph residents and watch for cars on the street. Ask about halal food in Joo Chiat, as some Peranakan restaurants are not.
Pink, green and blue.
At the entrances.
Timber and fine plaster.
Joo Chiat district, eastern Singapore
No, they are private homes, so stick to pictures from the street.
Early morning, when the street is quieter and the light softer.