Why stay?

This one-of-a-kind boutique hotel opened in late 2023 with a winning and well-priced combination of heritage and contemporary styles. Though compact, 21 Carpenter comes with plenty of character, not to mention a buzzing street-side bistro and an A-team of staff led by genial general manager Tarun Kalra.

The Neighborhood

Perched on the corner of New Bridge Road and Carpenter Street, the hotel is an easy walk to the riverside restaurants and bars of Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. Across the road, the sprawling Clarke Quay Central shopping center sits right above an MRT station that puts you just one stop away from Chinatown and a Downtown Line interchange.

21 Carpenter’s design integrates 1930s shophouses with a taller modern block; inside the skylit hotel lobby.

The Feel

Leading local architecture practice WOHA, whose headquarters are nearby, was behind the thoughtful transformation of this set of 1930s shophouses. Founded as a remittance office where migrant Chinese laborers once came to send money and messages back home, the four-story building has seen its original Shanghai-plaster facade meticulously restored and its interiors overhauled with a contemporary take on Chinese art deco. Rising above the rear of the site is a new extension clad in panels of perforated aluminum that provide both energy-saving shade and an additional connection with the past, with poignant phrases from archived remittance letters (e.g., “Day and night, when will we reunite”) cut into the metal. A small but vivid art collection showcases local artists like Khairulddin Wahab and Heman Chong, who was commissioned to create the large wall tapestry that hangs under the high glass ceiling of the living room–like lobby.

Guest Quarters

About half of 21 Carpenter’s 48 rooms and suites are located in the original building, with the rest housed on levels five to eight of the contemporary extension, dubbed the Urban Wing. The decor throughout is restrained and easy on the eyes, with custom furniture and fittings complemented by Bang & Olufsen speakers, Dyson hairdryers, and minibars stocked with local snacks. For added character, heritage rooms feature original refurbished chengal wood floors and ribbed glass; some come with French doors and balconies (double-glazed windows keep the street noise out). Urban rooms afford more expansive city views, which stretch to Marina Bay.

Food and Drink

21 Carpenter’s sole restaurant and bar, Kee’s, is under the culinary direction of chef Andrew Walsh, perhaps best known for his new-Irish tasting menu at the shuttered Cure in nearby Chinatown. Here, the tightly curated menu embraces both European (pepper-crusted steak frites; orecchiette with sunchoke) and Southeast Asian flavors, the latter highlighted by a fragrant seafood laksa. Embraced as a neighborhood favorite, the bistro is open throughout the day, but it’s buzziest at night, when patrons congregate to sip cocktails flavored with spices like nutmeg and star anise—a tribute to the time when the surrounding streets were a bustling trade hub for such ingredients.

A few of the dishes served at Kee’s, the street-side bistro at 21 Carpenter.

Wellness Factor

There is no spa or gym, but a guests can do laps in the slim, stainless-steel rooftop pool or zen out at the shaded garden terrace above the lobby.

Family Matters

While not particularly kid-friendly, the hotel’s heritage wing does have two-bedroom suites that are well suited for small families, with sliding partition doors that keep sleeping and living areas separate.

Sustainability Cred

WOHA is renowned for its progressive green building practices, and the firm’s work on 21 Carpenter is no exception. Features like rooftop photovoltaic panels and an innovative hybrid cooling system underscore the commitment to minimizing the hotel’s environmental footprint, as do reusable water carafes and a zero-plastic policy.

What Else?

A laudable focus on community has inspired collaborations with a host of local makers, artisans, and businesses. Apart from art consultancy The Artling, these include ceramicists Un Studio, homegrown clothing brand In Good Company (responsible for the linen guest robes), and lawyer turned clothier Samuel Ng, who designed the staff uniforms. The music wafting through the hotel’s public spaces comes courtesy of veteran Singaporean DJ Aldrin Quek.

Reviewed by Christopher P. Hill

21carpenter.com.sg
+65 6373 6988
21 Carpenter St., Singapore

21 Carpenter: Storied Shophouse Charm

Singapore Hotels

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