There are a total of 5 studios available in Shang House and the rent is from $3,300 to $3,700 a month, for a minimum of 3 months lease as reflected on the Figment website.

I stayed at the Meng Studio located on level 4 and it is at $3,700 per month with the size of the room at 180 sq ft. The rent is all-inclusive with utilities, WiFi, and even communal weekly cleaning fees covered. Furthermore, the shared kitchen and laundry facilities are also covered in the rent as well. A top-up of $150 a month can be added if you would like to have your room cleaned.

Security Deposit

Members will also have to include a 1.5-month security deposit, as a form of safeguard for the exquisite artwork and furniture in the shophouse. Since the shophouse lacks gym facilities, you will also be given a free ClassPass subscription to use the gyms and fitness studios.

Additionally, Figment members, also known as Figlets are also free to access the Figment Club House, located at Lor 24 Geylang where community events and get-togethers are held.

Prior to check in, the Figment community manager will be in touch via email with the necessary remote check-in details, the WiFi access, along with other housekeeping information, such as the maintenance guidelines and house rules.

Upon arrival via cab with my cabin luggage, I happened to meet Ian, the community manager and he showed me the place. Ian also kindly helped me to carry the luggage up to level 4, or else I would not know how I was going to manage the arduous task on my own. However, it would be a remote check-in as a standard, so you could either ask for a lower-level studio or bring a piece of lightweight baggage with you instead.

Figment Coliving Parking

For those that drive, you could request a proof of residency document from Figment, so as to apply for season parking on the HDB website. Unlike shophouses along the main road, Figment Shang House comes with an empty parking lot right at the front, which will not be available for actual parking purposes, unfortunately.

I was excited to have some me-time to catch up on my work and to unwind, as I moved into a spacious Figment Shang House at around 3,000 sq ft, located in the unfamiliar territory of Balestier with so much to see and do. I heard so many good things about this area, with the good food all around.

The Figment community is mainly catered for singles and couples, since there is a maximum occupancy of 2 pax per studio. Families with children under 21 years old will have to look elsewhere, due to the specific member mix.

For Meng Studio, the room that I was in, measures about 180 sq ft. It is a decently sized room with a great deal of storage space, as there is a wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling wardrobe that is twice the size of the wardrobe that I have in my master bedroom. Meng Studio is located on the top floor, with the nearest access to the rooftop lounge area.

There is a spacious en-suite bathroom with lots of storage, if you slide the mirror around to reveal more shelf space on the back, as well as a sink cabinet to keep any toiletries and cleaning supplies. The bathroom is user-friendly, since there are handles and hooks installed for the bath towels.

I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the high-quality faucets from Hans Grohe, as I got to enjoy a nice warm bath with the soothing and massage-like spray from the hand shower.

Aside from the gigantic wardrobe with in-built lighting, Meng Studio also comes with a queen-sized bed, bedside tables, a work desk and chair, a small drawer, and a minibar fridge right next to it. The room is well equipped with lots of power sockets at all corners of the room, and every room also has an individual router to ensure a stable and strong WiFi connection.

No water kettle

Since there is no water kettle or water pitcher in the room, I had to make a quick decision based on the 3 choices that I thought of.

I could either go up and down 4 levels of stairs to access the shared kettle in the kitchen, or I could buy my own kettle or pitcher jug. I ended up lugging more than 3 litres worth of mineral water up the stairs, just so I have sufficient drinking water for the next few days.

The room is also without a TV, so I relied on my small laptop screen for entertainment right before I drifted to sleep. It was kind of an awkward setup with the laptop, which felt like I was back in my student days, where I did not have an external TV screen.

No hair dryer

I also have to mention that hair dryer is not provided, and I had to go to bed with semi-wet hair as the complimentary towel cannot do much with hair drying for those of you with long hair especially.

It was easy for me to get settled into my work, since I have everything ready for me, including a stable WiFi connection.

However, there is nothing ergonomic about the desk and chair, since they are made of solid wood with zero cushioning effect. I could move to the living or dining room to work if I wanted to with the ample communal spaces around for everyone.

The bedding and pillow felt extra luxurious and comfortable, not sure if it was the “staycation effect” taking place. One of the house rules states that we should keep our volumes down between 10pm to 8am, which really helped me to wind down to a restful state.

However, I noticed that the air-conditioner was suddenly turned off at around midnight, so I had to turn on the fan so that it was not so stuffy. The air-conditioner was working again when I woke up, so I am guessing that it is just a scheduled routine or something.

Do you still remember back in the days when Singapore did not have lift access to every floor, and when climbing stairs was a thing?

I think that Singaporeans today are so spoilt with the convenience of having lift access. Having to go up and down the stairs to level 4 took a toll on me, such that I was experiencing muscle aches by the 3rd day.

Due to the nature of shophouses, the climbing and door sounds are amplified as echo whenever someone goes in and out of their rooms, but it does not happen all the time, so it was still bearable for me. Thankfully, there are minimal creaks and noise while climbing the stairs.

Ever since switching over to a digital door lock for my home, I never had to deal with physical keys.

Unfortunately, Figment Shang House requires traditional keys to enter both the front door and individual studios. I found that to be a big downside for me as bringing around physical keys gives me great anxiety, as I fear losing or misplacing them by accident.

For the front door access, there is an added keypress that I had to deal with in order to access the keys to unlock the door, before placing the keys back into the keypress for the next person to use. It was a dreary process that could take up to 3 minutes. Imagine carrying a whole lot of things on your hands while having to turn the combination lock up and down to get the PIN code right, to get to the physical keys to unlock the door. Phew!!!

Communal kitchen and backyard

In the shared kitchen, it is fully equipped with built-in appliances like dishwasher, 2-door fridge, microwave, ovens, stove and hood, along with a sink, and plenty of storage space to access the cups and plates.

There are separate washer and dryer machines located in the backyard for communal use, where members will have to work out a schedule and take turns to use.

Right beside the kitchen, there is a communal toilet that my partner found helpful, as he got to use the toilet when we were having our lunch at the dining area, without having to climb up to our room just to use the toilet. The communal toilet comes without a shower, just a WC and sink.

The large squarish communal dining table is made up of a luxurious marble material and it seats up to 8 pax with nicely cushioned dining chairs. It was so spacious that my partner and I had fun playing the shared jenga set that we found by the side bench.

We intentionally sat at the dining table to have the meals that we dabao-ed, just so we could really enjoy the space with the peaceful vibes, such that we can easily call this our (temporary) home.

During my time there, I found that my other housemates are usually in their rooms and that the communal spaces are almost always in an empty state. The living area is comfortable with cushioned sofa seats. However, the Shang House is without a single TV in sight, not in the living room nor the studio. The whole living area is very Instagrammable with good natural light and a brightly lit setting.

After walking up to level 5, you will find the open rooftop seating area. I had a great time hosting my brother and sister-in-law in the evening after our hearty dinner, where we chatted for over an hour.

There is plenty of seating for up to 10 pax available, and the awning is there to keep the area nice and sheltered from any weather conditions.

Figlets (Figment coliving’s residents) are free to access the Figment Club House located along the stretch of The Lorong 24A Shophouse Series. I visited the Figment Club House for a bit and met Figment’s founder, Fang Low, by coincidence. As Fang was in between meetings, he took the time to speak to me about Figment. Fang hopes to have more locals experience Figment for themselves, since the majority of members are expats currently.

The Figment Club House is full of life with fun and creative community members-only events that you may get to experience, such as dining experiences to karaoke sessions. Aside from communal events, the Figment Club House also caters to the creatives, where they have a creator residency program for the artists to work on their pieces.

“Figment is not for everyone, but everyone is welcome to give it a try” as quoted by Fang. If you identify yourself as a creative and love going to any arts and cultural events, then you will definitely find Figment as a great choice of co-living provider, as you get to meet other like-minded creatives too. The experience you get is truly unlike any other, as you can see how much thought has been put into the design and making of the shophouse, with one-of-a-kind furnishings and premium fixtures invested in it.

Figment Shang House: Great for expats

Expats and foreigners that are unfamiliar to Singapore’s heritage and culture can learn more just by staying in one of Figment’s shophouses, where they are termed as boutique homes. A boutique home, as defined by Figment, is all about being hyperlocal and experiential, unlike any other plain ol’ cookie-cutter homes.

As a Singaporean, you can also experience living in a Figment shophouse as a form of inspiration to design your own home. Furthermore, you get to also be readily embedded into neighbourhoods that you would not explore otherwise. Check in with the Figment representative to learn more about the short term stay that they offer, if you are looking for a place to stay during your home renovation.

Long term stay: Great for singles and couples

The Figment co-living experience is tailored for singles that enjoy meeting new people, as you will likely spend less time in your own studio and more time with the Figment community and members.

There are all these perks about going solo and being single, with having all the me-time in the world, but having tried it for just a day, I would prefer doing the whole co-living situation with a partner instead. You can interact and talk to the other housemates, but it is different when you are living alone, which can be isolating for introverts like myself at the end of the day.

Monthly rental is on the higher side

A quick search on the PropertyGuru website and you will be able to find unfurnished 2-room studio apartments at 474 sq ft that are renting at around $3,500 per month in the Balestier area. For fully furnished rooms, they are priced at around $1,300 per month with a slightly smaller room size as compared to Meng Studio. Hence, it is ultimately how you value the Figment experience at the end of the day, and to make the decision if Figment is for you.

Figment Shang House is located at 10 Pegu Road, Balestier.

This media stay is kindly offered by Figment.

This article was originally pubished on Home & Decor.

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