Koon Seng Road gets most of the attention, but the best Peranakan shophouses and photo spots in Katong extend well beyond that one street: street art murals tucked into back alleys, a fire-engine-red 1925 shophouse, and a Peranakan boutique with one of the most photographed shopfronts in the district.
Koon Seng Road: The Anchor of Any Katong Photo Spots List
Koon Seng Road’s row of 1920s pastel shophouses, with their carved motifs and oriental flourishes, is still the single most reliable frame in the district. It’s worth the five minutes even if you’ve seen the photos before. We’ve covered the full history of the street separately in our Katong and Joo Chiat heritage walk. For photo spots specifically, the point worth adding is that it’s a residential street. Shoot from the pavement and keep visits brief.
The Red House: A Fire-Engine-Red 1925 Shophouse
At 63 East Coast Road, a shophouse dating to 1925 is painted a fire-engine red that makes it one of the most distinctive single buildings in Katong. It formerly housed the well-known Red House Bakery. Even now, the facade alone is worth the detour if you’re walking East Coast Road between the antique shops and the food street.
China Collection: A Former Joss Paper Shop in Vivid Blue
China Collection, at 252 Joo Chiat Road, occupies a former joss paper shop painted a vivid shade of blue, standing out against the more common pastel tones nearby. It’s one of the better contrast shots if you’re building a set that isn’t just pastel-on-pastel.
Street Art in the Back Alleys
Away from the main roads, several murals turn ordinary back lanes into photo stops. “Medleyalley,” at 105 East Coast Road, sets Peranakan tile patterns against a yellow backdrop. “High Tide,” in the alley before 1 Koon Seng Road, uses pale orange and a blue tidal wave motif. It references the area’s history of flooding before land reclamation. On Joo Chiat Terrace, “The Jousting Painters,” by street artist Ernest Zacharevic, shows two boys jousting on doodled horses. All three sit just off the main streets. They’re easy to miss if you don’t specifically look for them.
Rumah Bebe: A Peranakan Boutique Built for Photos
Rumah Bebe, at 113 East Coast Road, is a Peranakan boutique and restaurant with a shopfront styled around beadwork, batik and traditional costume displays. It functions as a working shop rather than a museum, so the best approach is to browse and buy something small if you stop to photograph it.
Planning the Route
Late afternoon light works best for the pastel shophouses. It’s also when foot and vehicle traffic on Koon Seng Road thins out. A practical loop through these Peranakan shophouses and photo spots in Katong covers Koon Seng Road first, then The Red House and Rumah Bebe along East Coast Road. It finishes on Joo Chiat Road for China Collection and the murals. For where to eat along the way, see our guide to the best laksa and Peranakan food in Katong.
FAQ: Photographing Katong’s Shophouses
Are the shophouses private property?
Most of them are, including the Koon Seng Road row. Photograph from the street and avoid stepping onto private steps or porches.
Is this a full day of photography or a quick stop?
The main spots covered here fit into two to three hours, and pair naturally with the wider Katong and Joo Chiat heritage walk if you want the history behind what you’re shooting.
Where’s the closest MRT?
Eunos (EW7) for the Joo Chiat end, or Marine Parade and Tanjong Katong on the Thomson-East Coast Line for the East Coast Road end.
Bottom Line
Koon Seng Road is the essential shot, but The Red House, China Collection and the back-alley murals are what separate a Katong photo set from everyone else’s Koon Seng Road frame. If you’re staying nearby, see our guide to the best hotels near East Coast Park, all within reach of this route. The National Heritage Board’s Roots.gov.sg documents the conservation history behind the shophouses you’ll be photographing.
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