yong siak street ♥

i am sooo happy i went for lunch at forty hands in tiong bahru because i ended up finding two amazing stores, all on the same street.  i never even knew this place existed.  i love shopping at small alleys in tokyo with the coolest zakka shops but i never expected to find anything like it in singapore... even thought its only two shops and a cafe, i'm totally excited. first stop, Strangelets.

I have to quote their philosophy stated on the website because its EXACTLY how i feel and EXACTLY what i hope to do one day.  i'm happy to learn that there are teams like this in singapore.

"As interior designers and architects, we discovered that we were rarely able to find furnishings to add focus to our projects. We found ourselves fighting against a market that’s split between Euro-modern luxury and that certain company whose name starts with "I".
So we took the matter into our own hands. We traveled the world to bring back a different kind of quality: the quality of uniqueness. An escape from the dullness of hyper-mega mass production. In various studios in various cities, we found makers and suppliers of singularly charming and clever items, who impressed us with a new take on old problems.

And we did what anyone would have done. We threw money at them. And in return, they went to work to produce a beautiful, eclectic collection for us."

next stop is BooksActually ... its one of those shop that makes you feel like a kid at a candy store. everything made me smile or laugh.  

very retro items for sale at the back of the bookstore.  its so fun just looking at these old items

final stop at forty hands for some coffee and sandwich to cool off from all the excitement ;)

i can't wait to come back!