Shang House: Luxury co-living in a pre-war terrace house

If you're a fan of the Shanghai Art Deco style espoused by homegrown furniture brand Scene Shang, you're in luck - you just might be able to live in a house filled with their signature aesthetic, and even purchase your favourite pieces from there.

Dubbed the Shang House, this home was created as one of the three case study houses in collaboration with Figment, which offers luxury co-living. The other two houses are by Ministry of Design and Studio Juju, but this is the only one where tenants can actually purchase the furniture for themselves.

The home itself is a four-storey pre-war terrace house in Pegu Road, featuring a soaring ceiling and plenty of natural light. The bright airy minimalism of the home showcases a beautifully curated selection of Scene Shang's furniture and accessories, some of them created especially for this home.

"This concept was created to give people the experience of living with the furniture and interacting with them, rather than just seeing them in a boutique," says Fang Low, the founder of Figment.

Scene Shang's signature style, a marriage of classic Asian elements and contemporary minimalism, permeates the house.

Here, you'll be able to find classics like the award-winning Shang System (a modular side table which can be dismantled into a tray, drawer system, and stool), and some specially-created ones like the rattan bed frame that features in some of the bedrooms.

While the silhouette of the furniture is unmistakably modern, subtle Oriental details both mark out the brand's iconic style and pay homage to the home's heritage as a traditional shophouse.

One of the motifs you'll find throughout the house, for example, is the cloud-edge finish on some of the furniture - a subtle detail with rich history. "The cloud traditionally represents rain and harvest," says Jess from Scene Shang.

The aesthetic blends beautifully with the home itself, which retains elements of the traditional shophouse such as the window shutters.

Tenants are able to purchase their favourites by scanning a QR code, which takes them to the Scene Shang website. "If someone who's temporarily living here likes a piece and wants to have it for their overseas home, for example, they can purchase it and have it shipped to their country," explains Jess.

Apart from the furniture, elements of local life abound in the home. In the living area, a series of specially-commissioned paintings by Singapore Window Series artist Arthur P.Y. Ting takes centrestage, each featuring an intricately layered, three-dimensional painting of a different shophouse.

Rattan also features strongly in the aesthetic. As the shophouse is located in the Balestier conservation area, which has a rich history in rattan manufacturing, Figment and Scene Shang decided to incorporate this detail throughout the house.

You'll see the same rattan element in bed frames, hanging lights, and entrance screens, as well as in a special wicker edition of the Shang System.

The house has five suites available, ranging from a cosy attic room to a palatial master bedroom complete with a walk-in wardrobe. All suites have their own bathroom, and start at $1,200 a month for a three-month lease.

Apart from the Shang House, Figment has fourteen other co-living homes in its portfolio, each with its own distinct personality.

These include houses in vibrant historical enclaves such as Emerald Hill, Joo Chiat, and Tanjong Pagar, and all of them feature Singaporean interior design and art. "We strive to showcase local design talent in each of the homes," says Fang.

Find out more about Shang House and the other Figment homes here.

This article was first published in Home & Decor.