Rustic-Interior Charming Carpenter And Cook - A Vintage Gem Find In Singapore

The retro and vintage style continues to be a prevailing trend in Singapore. Besides a slew of boutiques selling vintage goods with classic designs, some also offer newly made items imitating the old look. With temperatures forecast to remain chilly this week, it's also a good time to head to one of the city's boutiques-cum-cafes where vintage lovers can warm up with a cup of hot tea or coffee while treasure hunting.

Such exploration constantly surprises me with the vintage shopping opportunities that lie within. Carpenter and Cook is one such destination, a true vintage gem which i only had the pleasure of discovering recently. Located at Lorong Kilat, a stone’s throw from Upper Bukit Timah Road, Carpenter and Cook is a vintage boutique-cum-tea room where the focus is the overall experience of shopping for vintage items, which the owner is keen to create with food service and nice music playing in the background. Carpenter and Cook is a store with a comprehensive selection of retro household items and well-made kitchen hardwares. The place has earned many loyal fans and regular customers over the past year by word of mouth. On display in the rustic-looking cafe are vintage goods, such as old thermoses, travel cases and even old classic photos are pictured hanging in the store.

Full of quaint teatime treats.

Don't forget to get a bag of their homemade cookies for more baked goodness at home.

The atmosphere of the cafe is relaxed and friendly, not a vibe i always get from vintage store, making it a delight to chill out in, as if you’re not in a cafe at all but travel back in time to the 60s-70s. 

This is a place which is quirky, charming and achingly hip – a wonderful distraction on any given afternoon. Get a glimpse of old world at Carpenter and Cook with its retro interior. You might also score lucky finds such as old typewriters, old kerosene lamps etc.

The other room of the cafe has several wooden tables and chairs, shaded in a dim light, providing a comfortable environment for visitors to rest from a busy job or shopping. Love the nostalgic, rustic ambience and generally reminiscent of old-school!

Full of retro-looking kitchen wares.

It’s off the main road but once you enter its ground, you will get a sense of its quirkiness. The cafe is housed in what really looks like the ground level of a double storey residential property. The sitting area of the cafe starts from the outer area of the entrance and extends to the big patio in front of it. Nestle on the retro furniture while you sip your coffee.

There have been big great efforts by the locals in Singapore to preserve many nostalgic shophouses, vintage shops and old streets that are so hard to come by in big cities these days. Among these old streets, boutique niche cafes are also springing out. While each cafe is special in their own ways, many of them has a rustic charm that attracted a good pool of cafe goers.During the recent weeks, i have planned a whole list of cafes i wish to visit. I am so glad that i manage to cover some of them, with every cafe reminded me to slow down my pace in life. I spent my time lazing, chatting about anything and everything under the sun, relax by reading a book while sipping tea / coffee, leisurely surfing the net - life can actually be so simple. People tend to spend too much time making a living and too little time living their lives. Head down to Carpenter and Cook with a gleeful heart and bright eyes and take in all the awesomeness!