The Singapore shophouse is an architectural gem a particular building form that is unique to the island. This book traces its development from rudimentary shophouse through various incarnations of decorative style Neoclassical, Chinese Baroque, Jubilee-style, Edwardian, Rococo, Tropical Modern all the while commenting on the various influences that fueled its evolution. Each individual feature of the shophouse is examined, as is its change from rudimentary out-of-China structure to sophisticated dwelling house. Numerous examples of shophouse interiors today complete the odyssey showcasing Shophouse as Temple, Clan House, Home, Boutique Hotel, Shop, Restaurant Coffeeshop and more, we see how these heritage buildings continue to be relevant in the era of the skyscraper and shopping mall.

Singapore is a cosmopolitan city with towering skyscrapers and state-of-the-art building technology. Nestled within its modern built environment are vestiges of its British colonial past and its cultural history. From its spanking new waterfront to its quaint shophouses and from its temples to its mosques and churches, Singapore is as multifarious architecturally as it is culturally. Architect G. Byrne Bracken captures with his sketches the unique diversity that defines Singapore. Covering favourite places such as Chinatown, the Civic District, Orchard Road and Kampong Gelam, this charming sketch-cum-guidebook will enrich your appreciation of Singapore through its distinctive urban landscape.

Join acclaimed photographer Georgianna Lane and explore the flower markets, gardens, and floral boutiques of London in this full-color celebration of the flora of England’s capital. London in Bloom showcases the floral abundance of the city’s extraordinary parks, gardens, florists, and flower markets. In this companion to her popular books Paris in Bloom and New York in Bloom, Georgianna Lane takes us on a romantic floral tour of London, juxtaposing luscious blooms with intricate floral details found in iconic architecture. The book also includes: A detailed list of recommended parks, gardens, markets, and floral designers A spring tour of blossoms and blooms A field guide of common spring-blooming trees and shrubs Step-by-step instructions for creating a London-style bouquet And more Lane offers a practical travel guide for anyone planning to see London in bloom in real life. She plans out a tour of spring blossoms, with a field guide for identifying flowering trees and shrubs. She even includes a list of addresses for her favorite parks, gardens, floral boutiques, and flower markets. Lane writes, “No place, real or imagined, enchants quite like an English garden. The ornate gates, the tumbling roses, the winding paths, and the sunlight winking through branches of delicate blossoms have long inspired poetry and romance. . . . Some are intimate and secret, with secluded corners and mysterious pools where dragonflies hover or fantastic creatures might even dwell. Others are impressive and majestic, their rolling parklands reminiscent of an eighteenth-century landscape painting.” For flower lovers and Anglophiles alike, London in Bloom offers a unique and irresistible view of London, a chance to bring “poetry and romance” to your home or to give it as a gift.

Part photography, part armchair travel, and 100 percent feline worship, "Cats in the Sun" transports readers to the Greek islands, where cats rule the cobbled streets and rooftops and are as much a part of the landscape as the whitewashed buildings and azure sea.