Areas such as Joo Chiat, Duxton Hill, Blair Road and Chinatown are often featured in Tatyana’s work, and she’s always discovering new heritage hot spots to photograph. From weathered Peranakan tiles, to ornate gates and Chinese lanterns strung high above, her eye for detail is reflected throughout her unique artwork.

What’s your photography background?
I studied photography through attending courses in NYC, but I’m mostly self-taught and have learnt on the job. I spend lot of hours taking many images to find the best light and angle.

What is your book about?
The book takes readers on walks in search of the most beautiful shophouses in the east coast area of Singapore – Joo Chiat, Katong and Geylang, where the streets are filled with bright colours and history. It includes maps to find particular streets, and historic references about the area.

Why did you want to publish this book?
I’ve discovered that many people don’t venture out to the east coast to admire the colourful heritage. This book aims to inspire locals and expats to walk around, mindfully observe, find beauty and decipher symbolism in the shophouse architecture. It’s the first in a series of Singapore shophouse walk books. Next is Chinatown, Duxton and Blair Plain. Also in the works is Little India, Bugis and Kampong Glam.

How did you choose the houses?
After many years of walking, some of them are very dear to me. I notice when they get a new coat of paint or change of owner and have renovations. I’m drawn to the most striking and well preserved and also the shape of windows and doors and tiles.

What was involved with creating the book?
Years of watching the neighbourhood change, taking multiple photos to find the best angle and light. Also collaborating with architecture historians, Singapore heritage guides and researchers on finding facts and stories about architecture in the neighbourhood.

What do you find so fascinating about shophouses?
Their unique architecture and colours. Because of the mix of European influence and Chinese culture, the shophouses were built reflecting different epochs, styles and preferences.

Which was your favourite house to shoot?
Houses with purple and blue colours and also the ones that have lavish plants by the entrance, and original European tiles from the early 20th century.

Where do you live yourself?
Pinnacle at Duxton – an iconic HDB in the Tanjong Pagar area, overlooking Chinatown and Duxton Hill.

To buy a copy of Tatyana’s book visit kildi.com, contact shophouse@kildi.com or pick up a copy at the ANZA office!

Where are you from?
I was born in Sydney, but I grew up in Ulladulla on the South Coast of NSW. It was right by the beach. When I was 18 I moved to Sydney, and then here. I’ve been in Singapore for 12 years now.

How did you find this house?
We started off in Grange Road, in a condo with a big pool and resort facilities, but not a lot of outdoor space. We wanted to get a dog, so we moved into a landed place – once you’ve done that it’s very hard to go back! My kids Rory and Jordy were at Tanglin Trust School and we would drive past this neighbourhood all the time, so it was on my radar.

What’s the history of this place?
It used to be a British army camp. These houses were for middle ranking officers, who lived here with their families. I had a lady walk past taking photos the other day, and she said: ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I used to live here when my dad was posted here 30 years ago.’ I was like, ‘no problem!’

Have you done any work on the house?
We’ve done quite a bit of work. We added the front patio and a cover at the back so that Rory could have a play area. Even though black and whites are big, the rooms are not huge – so there’s not enough space to have a dining or play room. We extended the outdoor areas instead – now we have dinner outside every night, and I just love that. It also meant we could put in black and white striped blinds, which was my dream!

What do you love about the house?
I love having the outdoor space. Rory is a keen golfer and footballer so it’s perfect for him. I also love entertaining, and this house is set up for barbecues. In Australia I grew up with an outdoorsy lifestyle, with space for kids and dogs, so it’s nice to have it here in Singapore. We don’t have air con – everyone freaks out about that – but we have fans and the doors are open all the time. The houses have open vents, already built in – so there’s airflow through the house all the time. Rory has asthma and eczema, so the air con just didn’t agree with us. I luckily don’t get bitten by mosquitos and neither do the kids, so that doesn’t really worry us.

What style did you want for your space?
I adore the black and white minimalistic, traditional look. This house has a style of its own, so my furniture choice is really in keeping with that – it’s not outrageously modern or antique. I got a lot of the furniture from Originals – their pieces have a modern Asian feel. I like light, bright, white, clean lines! That’s what I’ve gone for, but there are also little pops of colour around the house.

What are some of your most precious possessions?
I love my framed neckpiece. We were at the border checkpoint passing through Kenya and Tanzania. A lady had a whole stack around her neck for sale. I spotted one in particular – I really liked the colours and the way it went together – and I had to buy it. It’s a great memento.

How did you get into the fitness industry?
Originally when we came to Singapore, I worked in advertising. I left to have Rory, and did freelance bits and pieces. But a friend and I were massively into sport and fitness and we decided that instead of having coffee and cake, we would start a business called Bloom’n FIT (bloomnfit-sg.com) for Mum’s with babies. It runs in the Botanic Gardens three mornings a week. Then I split up with my husband and I wanted to stay in Singapore. I needed to do something more substantial in order to afford to live here and to get an EP. I didn’t want to go back into advertising, and that’s when I looked at F45 (f45training.sg/novena). Within three weeks, I’d bought my first franchise. I just took a risk. It’s absolutely my passion – it’s HIIT, high intensity interval training, in a group. It’s my favourite kind of training as it’s so motivational. I’m really passionate about it, and it’s been really amazing. Now I own Novena, Holland Village and Orchard. In the space of two years it’s just taken off and snowballed. I’m just starting to get some kind of work-life balance!

Pretty as a Postcard!
“I was in a really cute little bookshop in London with Jordy, and I really liked a set of postcards, featuring vintage book covers. She brought them for me later for my birthday. When she was visiting for holidays I said; ‘right we’ve got to do something with those postcards,’ so I found the small clipboards, and we measured it up and nailed them into the staircase wall. It was a great project for us, and every time I look at them, I think of her.”

In his 2018 National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the success of government housing. “Singapore’s housing policies have been uniquely successful. We are the only major city in the world where nearly every young couple getting married can afford to buy their first home immediately.”

What is HDB housing?
The HDB develops residential estates as various sites throughout Singapore, and the flats are offered for sale under a 99-year leasehold.
Why a leasehold and not freehold? Prime Minister Lee explains the rational. “HDB sells the flat to you for 99 years. You own it, and you can pass it on for one or two generations. After that, the flat returns to the State, the Government redevelops the land, and builds new flats for future generations. This is the only way to recycle the land and ensure that all our descendants can buy new flats of their own”.
Apartments are located in housing estates that function as towns. Currently, there are 23 HDB towns across Singapore. Most have their own schools, shops, recreational facilities like playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and often a hawker centre or wet market. Part of the HDB mission statement is promoting active and cohesive communities, so HDB developments are always planned with community facilities in mind.

How does the housing system work?
There are two types of HDB flats available to buy: new flats in new developments where the price is determined by the HDB, or resale flats which you buy from the owner with prices determined by the market. In general, only Singaporean citizens can buy HDB flats. Under certain circumstances, Permanent Residents can buy resale HDB flats.
To buy a flat in a new development, prospective buyers enter a ballot. Their queue position in the ballot is determined by various eligibility criteria and priority schemes.
For example, unmarried citizens under the age of 35 cannot apply unless they are widowed or orphaned. Priority schemes include first-time applicants (new homeowners), seniors, and multi-generational applications where parents apply to live in the same development as their married children. There are currently more than10 different priority schemes, so determining an applicant’s place in the ballot is a time-consuming process. Once you have a secured a flat, there is a minimum occupation period of 5 years before you can sell it or rent it out.

Can expats rent a HDB?
Yes. For an expat, the maximum initial lease term is 1.5 years. To renew your lease after that, the owner will need to reapply to the HDB office for approval. This is partly because there is a ‘non-citizen quota’ for each neighbourhood and block. The HDB sets this quota to maintain an ethnic mix in HDB towns. Currently, the quota is set at 8% at the neighbourhood level and 11% at the block level. Once the quota is reached, only Singaporeans and Malaysians can rent a flat in that neighbourhood or block.

History of HDBs
In the 1950’s, many Singaporeans were living in slum-like settlements. To remedy this, the HDB was set up in 1960. It replaced its predecessor, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), which was set up by the British in the 1920s. Within three years of formation, the HDB had built 21,000 flats. Over the years, HDB architects have experimented with many architectural styles.

HDB hotspots
Some of Singapore’s most significant HDB developments include:

Stirling Road, Queenstown
Blocks 45, 48 and 49 in Stirling Road were some of the first flats completed after the HDB was formed. Handed over to residents in 1961, these blocks formed part of HDB’s ‘First Five-Year Programme’, an ambitious plan to build 50,000 units in five years. These blocks are still standing today and are part of Queenstown’s Heritage Trail. Some of the original residents settled there after being made homeless by Singapore’s biggest fire at Bukit Ho Swee, which killed four people and left 16,000 homeless.

Tiong Bahru
The town of Tiong Bahru contains several historically significant styles of HDB blocks. The area was first developed by the SIT prior to formation of the HDB. The Art-Deco-style buildings bordered by Seng Poh Rd, Tiong Poh Rd, Tiong Bahru Road and Moh Guan Terrace were built in the 1930s. In 2003, they were given conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Between 1948 and 1954, SIT also built several blocks of four-storey buildings with distinctive rounded staircases, that can be seen along Tiong Bahru Road and around Tiong Bahru Market.

The Pinnacle @ Duxton
The Pinnacle’s striking design resulted from an international architecture competition, which attracted over 200 entries from architects in more than 30 countries. It was won by two Singaporean architecture firms, ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism, and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. The estate has 1,848 apartments in seven blocks. As well as being the first 50-storey HDB project in Singapore, it features the world’s longest sky gardens. The gardens, at 500 meters length, are located on level 26 and level 50. The 50th level is open to the public on payment of a $6 fee, and enjoys panoramic city views.
Public interest in the development, completed in 2009, was enormous. 3,149 applications were received for the first release of 528 flats. It has received numerous design awards.

HDB Trivia:
– The largest HDB towns are Jurong West, Tampines and Woodlands, with over 200,000 residents each.
– You’re not allowed to have cats (because they tend to escape and urinate in common areas). One dog is ok, as long as it’s a breed on the HDB-approved list.
– The highest price recorded for a resale HDB flat is $1.18 million, for a five-room flat in Bishan.
– The HDB town of Queenstown was named after Queen Elizabeth II, to celebrate her coronation in 1952.
– The iconic dragon playground at Toa Payoh was designed in 1979 by HDB employee Mr Khor Ean Ghee, for the Toa Payoh HDB town residents.

Story: Karola Clark