“Good vibes”, “feels like home”, “kampung style”, “traditional yet modern” – these are common phrases
people reach for when describing Unicorn’s Kampung Private Club. Sometimes passers-by will even
mistake it for a café, drawn in by its warmth and openness. And in a way, that is the spirit of the place. I
like to joke that whenever that happens, "lao ban" would be very happy, knowing his efforts have paid
off.
Mr Patrick Tan, our Chairman, whom we call "lao ban", grew up with the memory of kampung life. He
remembered a world where children ran freely between neighbours, where adults gathered without
occasions, and where the distance between people was simply smaller. Kampung Private Club
(Kampung) was his way of bringing that memory back to life and extending it to his Unicorn family.
Kampung is a two-storey conservation shophouse at 662 Geylang Road. Before it became part of
Unicorn, it was Eng Huat, a plastic sheeting shop. Today, it serves as a versatile venue for dining, private
events and training sessions.
In a city that moves quickly, spaces like this offer something precious; the ability to stand in the present
and feel the full weight of the past.
To understand Kampung, let’s first understand this ‘Geylang’ that it calls home.
Geylang, originally called Geylang Kelapa, meaning Coconut Geylang, started out as a Malay farming
settlement in the 1840s, where settlers grew coconuts, rubber, and lemongrass along the Geylang River.
Over the following century, the neighborhood transformed constantly. Chinese immigrants arrived, vice
trades took root, and a government crackdown reshaped it all in the 1980s. What stands today is a place
shaped by time, tension, and resilience.
This historical ebb and flow of cultures left a mark on its architecture scene.
Walking along Geylang, you would encounter shophouses spanning from Early, First Transitional, Late, Second Transitional to Art Deco styles which demonstrate the range of building styles spanning the 1910s to the 1950s. The columns and pilasters, repeated at steady intervals, give the streetscape a rhythm that feels both historical and alive.
These shophouses first came about due to the practical need to serve residents, some who owned plantations, to run businesses on the ground floor and live above.
Each culture that came left its unique imprint. For instance,
– Malay influence lives on in the wooden fretwork; a hallmark of vernacular shophouse design across the Malay Archipelago.
– Peranakan flair shows up in the colourful European tiles adorning the front walls.
– Chinese craftsmanship reveals itself in the V-shaped clay roof tiles and intricate three-dimensional plaster reliefs on the facades.
– European touches come through in the louvred French windows, glazed fanlights, and neoclassical cornice work.
Kampung has kept many of these original architectural features.
A CLOSER LOOK
Exterior
The party walls dividing Kampung from its neighbouring unit serves as the
building’s principal load-bearing structures, protruding approximately 30cm above the roofline in a subtle but deliberate architectural gesture.
Completing the facade are light blue, timber-framed French casement windows. Simple in form, they carry a quiet elegance that grounds the building’s overall character.
Interior
Step inside and dual-toned patterned floor tiles set the tone, while light blue
collapsible gates fitted with an old-fashioned lock mechanism add a touch of nostalgia.
Look up and the building reveals its full structural logic; main beams, secondary
beams, floorboards, and rafters work in unison overhead to support the second
floor. Polished hardwood staircases with timber handrails lead the way up.
At the rear lies courtyards that serve as a light and ventilation well, connecting the
enclosed interior to the open sky.
And if you’re wondering where my go-to spot in Kampung is … it’s actually the communal tables on level 1! I’ll confess, a big reason is because I have my lunch there pretty much every day, prepared by our long residing day resident, private chef 小不点. Lunchtime is where architecture plays out and shines as an additional ingredient. The courtyard draws heat upwards, the marble-lined tables keep temperatures cool, and the open gate lets light and wind move freely through the meal. All of it shapes the pace of lunch, the quality of the conversations, and the atmosphere of the hour.
I like to say: ‘though architecture does not flavour food, it flavours the person eating it’.
Here, it feels like a getaway, but acts like a get-together.
Sources:
1. Geylang, Then vs Now (The Smart Local, 2023) https://thesmartlocal.com/read/geylangsingapore-then-and-now/
2. About Geylang (URA)
https://www.ura.gov.sg/ConservationPortal/Explore/History?bldgid=GYLG
3. Geylang (NLB)
https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=aa3343ff-a6b1-4754-aeb16130d18bec08
4. Kampung Private Club (Unicorn)
https://unicorn.sg/map-location/kampung-privateclub/
