There’s something oddly captivating about feeling nostalgia for a place you’ve never actually known. That’s how I feel about New Bahru, the creative cluster that now occupies what was once Nan Chiau High School. Classrooms have transformed into shops, and corridors into walkways between creative businesses. This made me wonder: how often do places get a second chance at reinventing themselves? Especially one that has shifted so dramatically, from school to mall—or perhaps even... a hotel?
I had the opportunity to stay at Alma House recently, a brand-new serviced apartment venture by hospitality collective Project X. My introduction to the space came through its paradoxical lobby on the third floor of New Bahru—a versatile area that resembles a living room, but doubles as an event space. When the space isn’t being rented, exclusive programmes are organised for the guests, which helps facilitate conversations and authentic connections.
An unassuming door beside the lobby leads to Alma House proper—83 rooms spanning an entire block. An ID was inspected, a keycard was given, and before I knew it, I was standing in a cosy shoebox room where clever design makes every square foot count. Wooden tiles and homely furniture create warmth, while a full complement of amenities— washer, dryer, kitchen with hood, hob, undercounter fridge, microwave, and all the necessary cookware—promises the comforts of home. Like any rational person facing a spotless new kitchen, I was tempted to cook something nice for dinner, especially with a Cold Storage just a few floors down. But even with the kitchen practically begging to be used, my culinary ambitions peaked at reheating a magnificent Beef Birria taco from Huevos that I had delivered as room service for lunch. No regrets, though.
A red partition cleverly separates the bed from the living space, creating a snug sleeping sanctuary that feels both private and protected. Morning arrived with gentle determination, natural light filtering through curtains with just enough intensity to energise. While the view outside wasn’t anything spectacular, watching cars gather in the parking lot below felt somehow symbolic of New Bahru’s gathering community.
The few minor qualms I had to feel almost too petty to mention: no complimentary toothbrush? Good on them for being environmentally conscious. The smart TV requires personal login credentials to use the streaming services offered but who doesn’t have a Netflix account nowadays? Still, it would’ve been nice to see what’s playing on other streaming services like Amazon Prime though.
Alma House It’s impossible to talk about Alma House without mentioning the brands surrounding it since they’re integral to the New Bahru experience. From its bathroom products and sleeping mist being provided by Omno—a body beauty brand just a level below Alma House—to complimentary breakfast bundles from PPP Coffee exclusive to guests, Alma House truly embodies the communal spirit New Bahru stands for. Their reach extends to over 15 local brands in the cluster, offering exclusive discounts and amenities to guests.
My visit included an invitation to Hideaway, a new massage and bathhouse facility. Immersed in work, I found myself panicking upon receiving a text reminder about my session. 3:03pm. I scrambled my way to the door, grabbing some clothes as I went. Before long, I found myself standing in a cosy, earthy enclave adorned with soft, warm lighting, brown walls, and Frank Ocean playing in the background. 3:05pm. It struck me then just how seamlessly everything at New Bahru is interconnected.
After a quick survey to customise my massage preferences, I was led to the bathhouse—a space straight out of my Pinterest board under “dream apartment.” Frosted windows, square glass-tiled dividers, sleek metal, and warm wood accents created a serene atmosphere. It is here where I baked myself in a private infrared sauna, followed immediately by a cold plunge. This hot and cold process not only boosts cardiovascular strength but also muscle recovery and mental rejuvenation.
The Classic full-body massage, with its Swedish-inspired strokes, was equally revitalising. The masseuse’s attention to detail was exceptional. One of my usual pet peeves—knee discomfort when lying face down—was avoided as she carefully tucked a towel under my feet without being prompted. Listening to a playlist curated by founder Grant Wee, which featured artists like Bon Iver and Cigarettes After Sex instead of the typical spa tunes added an oddly cathartic layer to the experience. By the end of the session, my neck and shoulders felt wonderfully loose.
With room service options from restaurants like One Fattened Calf, Huevos, and Dearborn, and a dedicated spa experience at Hideaway, Alma House feels like a deconstructed hotel. It’s as if someone took apart the traditional model, scattered its pieces throughout the creative cluster, and reassembled them in a way that makes more sense for modern living. The result is something that captures the spirit of a kampung, those traditional Singaporean villages where community wasn’t just an amenity but a way of life. When you stay at Alma House, you’re not just paying for accommodation—you’re buying into a vision of what communal living can be.
Plus, there’s something magical about adding your own chapter to a place that’s already layered with history, don’t you think?
Alma House is located at 46 Kim Yam Road, #03-03 Singapore 239351
Singapore's design scene has got a major upgrade as Beyond The Vines opens the doors to its first-ever Design House in the country. Located in the latest lifestyle hotspot New Bahru, the Design House is not only the brand's largest space to date, but also a bold celebration of creativity and its local roots.
Spanning an impressive 3,800 square feet, the Design House is more than just a retail experience. It's a visual and tactile journey, featuring geometric shapes, vibrant colours, and a mix of textures that invite exploration. From brushed stainless steel and raw concrete walls to glossy tiles and mirrored surfaces, the space blends industrial elements with playful design touches, creating an atmosphere that feels both modern and fun.
Step inside and you'll be greeted by a striking showcase of Beyond The Vines' iconic Dumpling bag series. The pieces are set against a wave-like structure in the brand's signature Engineer Blue colour as a nod to the brand's design philosophy of mixing the bold with the understated.
For Beyond The Vines' littlest customers, a whimsical kids' section inspired by building blocks, invites them to explore pillars stacked with geometric shapes. For adults and children alike, an immersive tunnel adds an element of wonder, making the Design House feel like a space for discovery as much as shopping.
Adding on to the already stacked design intricacies, Beyond The Vines debuts its first-ever customisation area within the Design House. Personalise accessories with in-house-designed lettered key tags to add playful and bespoke touches to everything from the Dumpling bags to Crunch Carryall to the Poofy series.
Beyond The Vines opened its first Design House in CentralWorld Bangkok a couple of months ago that was then, its biggest store. Its first Singapore Design House only proves that the brand continues to grow and push for good design that's accessible to all.
The Beyond The Vines Design House, New Bahru is located at 46 Kim Yam Rd, New Bahru Big Block #01-07.
Here's another reason to (re)visit the hip new enclave the entire country is seemingly buzzing about. The space will play host to the largest event for all things eco over this entire weekend. Now on its third year, GREEN-HOUSE has over 80 participating local brands spanning, you know, the usual—fashion, beauty, home, food and crafts.
It's organised by Pass It On Studio (Singapore's first plantable candle, if that information was somehow vital to you), and some big brand newcomers for this year include Nespresso and Samsonite. Just so you don't get overwhelmed with the variety of workshops and activities, the event will be sectioned into three zones.
For every attendee that registers, one tree will be planted in support of Eden Reforestation Projects.
The first space will centre on art installations such as an exhibit transforming used car parts and a tapestry from fabric linings of reclaimed luggage from Samsonite's Trade-in campaign. You are welcome to bring unwanted fabric and adding it onto the existing weave with a traditional loom. (If you're wondering what happened to the hard-shell exteriors, some are upcycled into pet beds donated to the animal welfare organisations at the Reconnect zone!).
You can also catch free movie screenings of feature films co-curated by Singapore Nature Film Festival at the Helinox Cinematheque. Otherwise browse second-hand furniture from Objects.re, eco-friendly home designs from Ferticlay (alternative clay processed from mid-stream waste materials) or smaller knick-knacks like notebooks by OFFCUT that repurposes print production waste paper.
Besides being a pet-friendly picnic space, this is also where the dedicated pet societies are stationed. From Cat Welfare Society to Chained Dog Awareness, learn about the little companions and even make the lifelong commitment to bring them home.
No event is complete without grub. Have a cup on Nespresso's dime while you watch how each capsule is locally recycled so you can feel a little less guilty about your atas instant coffee. Participants can also learn how to make fertiliser from old coffee grounds and leave with an edible plant.
This special pop-up cafe has two lunch seatings featuring a plant-based three-course using local ingredients that's paired with three non-alcoholic drinks. It's the first in collaboration with FURA, which if you like the bar's style, you'd know what to expect.
All dinnerware for the session are made exclusively for Mercedes-Benz by Pass It On Studio, by the way. Even cups are constructed of FDA-certified upcycled bio-composite materials AKA agricultural waste like eggshells, coconut and rice husks. Should you have missed making reservations, limited portions of the menu's New Age Goreng Pisang will be available from 3pm onwards on both days.
GREEN-HOUSE 2024 happens 13 & 14 July, 10 am - 7 pm at New Bahru, 46 & 58 Kim Yam Road. Admission is free.
What defines the essence of being Singaporean? Is it the laksa and chicken rice we eat? Our kiasu nature? Maybe it's the way we speak. Whatever it is, I’d argue nothing encapsulates our cultural identity quite like secondary school. For every Singaporean, secondary school was a crucial rite of passage. It’s a time when we are thrust into a melting pot of local culture and self-discovery. These are our most formative and tender years, which harden to form some semblance of who we eventually grow into. In a setting that perfectly embodies the wistful nostalgia and vibrance of Singaporean culture (if you’ve ever revisited your alma mater, you’ll know what I’m talking about), The Lo & Behold group decided to launch New Bahru, a project in this exact place that brings together local businesses to form an artist’s collective.
Brought to you by the folks behind Odette and Tanjong Beach Club, New Bahru repurposes the skeleton of Nan Chiau High School to create a space spanning food and beverage, retail, wellness, entertainment, education, arts and culture. The project's goal is to capture the quintessential Singaporean spirit and unleash our city's untapped creative potential. Despite the easier path of demolishing and starting anew, The Lo & Behold Group chose the more challenging one. By preserving the original framework, they've retained that intangible magic of adolescence. This essence permeates every repurposed classroom-turned-store, echoes through the hallways, and lingers in the parade square.
Home to the infamous SGD18 Nasi Lemak, The Coconut Club resembles how we imagine a Singaporean diner to be. They serve elevated local fare like the Quail Goreng Berempah, made with livestock from Singapore’s oldest family-owned game bird farm. Another standout dish to look out for is the River Valley exclusive Wagyu Beef Roti John.
For everything bedroom, check out SOJAO, a local brand known for 100% ethically made organic cotton products. You’ll find anything from bedsheets, sleepwear and fragrances—one of which White Noise, a collaboration with stillgoods, caught my nose. It’ll have you sniffing the sample paper like an inhaler (in the best way possible) due to its calming effect. I hear they’re collaborating with 50 other local brands, embracing the kampung spirit we’ve grown so out of touch with.
Hearing Nujabes playing in the background of Soilboy told me everything I needed to know about the plant studio. The atmosphere evokes a Zen Japanese garden, with blends of textures—cork on metal, smooth and textured, soft but rugged. Soilboy curates a careful selection of plants that involve intensive research and propagation. The result is a catalogue of flora you probably expect to see in somewhere like Gardens by The Bay instead. Their collection of handmade ceramics is also available for sale in their first experience store, so rest assured your plants won’t go home unclothed.
To effectively sum up what MAKE is, one can only describe it as a kitchen for clothes. Launching as an experience-based concept store, they allow customers to customise a selection of materials and fabric (the seasoning stage as I like to call it) and quite literally, steam them in an “oven” once they’ve undergone the arduous process of this or that. What comes fresh out of the oven is a creation—either a garment or a bag—complete with a beautiful pattern of pleats, a signature design of the studio.
Chef Rishi Naleendra's homage to his Sri Lankan heritage, the restaurant used to be at Wanderlust Hotel but traded it for a bigger space and a thirstier clientele. Now with a bar and a new vigour to the menu, the joint has a new lease of life. Sure, Chef Naleendra may have to travel a little further from his other two establishments—Fool and the two Michelin-starred Cloud Street, both within the Tanjong Pagar district—but you can't really beat the vibe of New Bahru.
Once an online portal, MORNING has now succumbed to having a physical retail space. It's about time though. It's hard to experience the ease of making your own coffee with MORNING's signature Morning Machine. Drop in and the retail staff will walk you through the handling of the machine, as well as, recommend the different coffee profiles that might tickle your fancy. Expect future endeavours like sampling sessions, workshops and events.
What started as an Etsy side hustle has now blossomed into a third physical space at New Bahru. As the first to introduce permanent jewellery (where a custom-fitted piece is welded close without any clasp) in Singapore, Curious Creatures at New Bahru offers fine and demi-fine jewellery collections as well as the only outlet that has a bespoke service.
Located at the Big Block, Alma House's nomenclature is taken from "alma mater" as the building was once Nan Chiau High School. It's a new-to-market serviced apartment concept that's designed by local design studio FARM. With furnishings supplied by Commune, there are six room tiers to stay at; with the Deluxe Room (18sqm) that's fitting for a single traveller or the largest Alma Family Suite (55sqm) that... well, the whole family can enjoy.
If MAKE by Ginlee is a kitchen for clothes, it only makes sense to liken Crafune to a kitchen for leather handbags and accessories. Here, they offer a series of hands-on workshops focused on leather craftsmanship, but there’s also an emphasis on upcycling. That old leather bag you just can’t bear to part with? Under Crafune's guidance, your own hands can transform it into a stylish wallet, cardholder, or any number of creative accessories.
To understand what ÁTIPICO is, look no further than the name itself. Defined as “different from all others of the same type,” ÁTIPICO has had its background as a bakery and caterer for high-end fashion brands. At New Bahru, Room #15 will be its first foray into the restaurant industry, and it seems poised to make a splash in fine dining with a fresh perspective. Based on the tantalising samples I’ve tried, I have no doubt ÁTIPICO will transition just fine into the industry—albeit a little disruptive with how unique it promises to be.
Opening its doors as Singapore’s only Makkoli bar and restaurant, Odem takes pride in its curation of meticulously handcrafted makkoli that’s been brewed with local ingredients and free of preservatives—a far cry from your typical mass-produced rice wine. As someone who struggles to finish a pint of beer, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying a flight of five makkoli glasses without much resistance. Though we must admit, we’ve always had a soft spot for makkoli. Pairing each sip with a warm and comforting bite of their Soy Glazed Brioche and Gamtae Seaweed Butter hit every spot for us.
Traditional Korean dishes are refined using modern techniques, resulting in a menu featuring comfort food such as the Gulim Mandu and Barbequed Kalbi. The ambience is bathed in soft light, creating an intimate atmosphere that’s sure to get those long conversations going. If you do decide to visit, don’t leave out the Brioche, seriously.