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It's Mother's Day, let's celebrate the wonderful and important ladies who raised us.

Meet the mothers of Cove!

This Mother’s Day, I’d like to introduce to you the hard working mothers in our humble office who have been working tirelessly for their kids at home, while also providing you the best homes Cove can offer.


Let’s celebrate these wonderful ladies - Del, Evangeline, Renee and Sophie! Amongst them, they have a combined experience of 24 years being a mom! 


Can you guess who amongst them is the most experienced mother?


It’s Del! Del is a proud mom to 3 adorable boys (which she refers to as this emoji - 🐒, LOL) namely Dayyan (11), Ayden (10) and Eilshan (4).


After a day at work, our Accounts & Admin in-charge here juggles between handling school-related stuff and assisting in their homework and revision for her sons. It seems like a mother’s work day never ends. 🥱


Despite a very hectic schedule, Del looks forward to seeing and spending time with her sons every single day. When she’s in the office and misses her kids, she’d think of all the quality time they’ve spent together and just look forward to the weekend!


Isn’t that all of us when we dread work sometimes? 😜


When asked what’s her advice for other mothers out there, Del shared that mothers have to remind themselves that they work for the betterment of their family and children. Both family/children’s needs and work are equally important so you need to know how to find the perfect balance in between. 


As for Del’s teammate, Renee, she constantly reminds herself that her son is safe whenever she misses her son while she’s at work.


“I will stop for a few seconds and remind myself that he is safe and being cared for and I will see him soon,” shared our Accounts and Administration Manager.


She also mentioned that support and understanding from her spouse is crucial to balance motherhood and career. It makes dual responsibility much easier for both of them.

Renee with her husband and son looking cute wearing Cove t-shirts!


Both her husband and herself ensure that they spend their Sundays together with Reinaldo, who is 5 years old this year.


Her advice to other moms? There is no other gift in the world that is more special than motherhood itself! Aww…😍


Since all of us are still working from home most of the time, this means there are more pockets of time for Evangeline to be with her kids, Elijah (5) and Ezekiel (3).


“Work from home arrangement has proven to be pretty good as I'm able to see and spend a bit more time with them on days I do not have to commute to work/external meetings.”


We’re so thankful that technology allows us to work remotely despite the pandemic! 💻 Coincidentally, it also allows us to have more quality time with our friends and family.

Elijah is so adorable in this photo, making a cute peace sign with his tiny little hand!


But, Evangeline also highlighted the dangers of technology that her kids are exposed to.


According to our Head of Investments, kids nowadays are more susceptible to undesirable language, behaviour and traits just by watching or listening to things over the internet. Parents have to be extra wary regarding this and have to monitor their kids closely.


Thankfully, Evangeline has the help of her mom who can oversee her kids when she’s busy at work.


Mothers themselves also can’t escape from the dangers of technology. On social media, there are tonnes of motherhood tips and advice on social media but not all of that will apply to every mother. 


“Know that every mom is doing their best for their kids and what works for some doesn't necessarily apply for all. So, trust that you are doing your best for the kids, and don't be so harsh on yourself. It's challenging, but take time out to care for yourself so that you can care better for others!”


Very wise advice from a mother with 6 years of motherhood experience. Evangeline is also expecting her third child this coming August, so congratulations are on the way!


As for our co-founder, Sophie, spending time with her little one actually helps her to take a real mental break from work. In return, she finds herself being more productive and focused at work.


“It's also absolutely critical that you have the right support networks around and of course if you co-parent that you have a partner who shares the load in a way that is fair and works for you both,” she added.


Like other mothers, Sophie too suffers from ‘mom’s guilt’ when she feels like she should be spending time with her 18-month old son, Ollie, instead of working.


“I think it's important as mums that we maintain perspective - I don't think there is anyone who finds it easy so you have to try not to be too hard on yourself and just put your energy into making sure the time you do spend with your family is quality time.”


Sophie would also like to wish ‘well done!’ to all the supermamas out there who have been working so hard in nurturing the next generation of our world. It is indeed one of the hardest but also the most rewarding responsibility a mom can have!


I hope that the stories of these amazing mothers inspire you to appreciate eve. Remember, if you have yet to spend time with your mom or ask them how they are, spend some quality time with them this Mother’s Day.


If they’re overseas, you can always video call them via Zoom or give them a call via WhatsApp. 📞


For those of you who have mom living in Singapore and may have forgotten to get a little something this Sunday, we’ve got you covered!


Here’s a list of shops where you can get your mom a Mother’s Day cake. 🤗


Instead of just getting a cake, why not gift her a bouquet of flowers too? It’s included in the bundle!


Indulge in this Pistachio Fraiser exclusive cake that’s only available during Mother’s Day period.


Can’t decide which flavour your mom would love? Why not get this 4 flavoured pre-cut ice cream cake.


If your mom has a very traditional taste, this pandan infused cake made with pandan coconut curd and fluffy fragrant coconut cream cheese is perfect for her.


Flowers or cake? Which one to get? Well, why not get her both of those? Gift her a cake which is hidden underneath the bouquet of roses. There’s even a little tiara to go with it. Interesting isn’t it?


If your mom isn’t a cake lover, you can always get her a beautiful dress from Love Bonito or a handbag, shoes or accessories from Zalora!

Alchy shares what he likes about his job as an intern with Cove

He is in charge of the ‘fully furnished’ aspect of Cove, find out how he does it!

This week on our Cove Superstars series, I’ll be featuring our Project Coordinator Intern, Alchy!


The Project Coordinator team is the reason why Cove homes come fully furnished with all the things you need in a home. Basically, Alchy’s task is to assist in the management and execution of Cove’s Operations Projects, which comprises property transformation processes and interdepartmental technology integration, to ensure operational efficiency!


So all of your high-speed wifi, kitchenware, sofa set, smart TV and more are all thanks to Alchy and his team. They make sure the studio apartment, shophouse, walk-up apartment or the condominium you’ll be staying in is move-in ready!


Alchy started as a part-time intern last year in October and converted to a full-time intern since December. When asked what’s his unforgettable memory at Cove, he shared that having team dinners with his team and managers is one of the highlights!


That’s right! At Cove, we prioritise fellow Cove Superstars’ welfare. One of the ways is by chilling and hanging out with our teammates, ensuring everyone is taken care of!


Alchy also finds the work culture at Cove pretty amazing as he has been given the liberty to complete certain tasks all by himself and share his own ideas.


He is free to explore different ways to find a solution to complete the assignment that was handed to him. He felt that the confidence entrusted by his manager was important and crucial in boosting his work performance.


The 4-storey landed house at Paya Lebar Walk is Alchy’s favourite property. Even though he said that there’s a lot of things to set up in that home due to the large size, he finds it really comfortable and very spacious. Definitely great for couples or individuals who love to host dinner parties. 


In fact, there’s a vast rooftop deck where you can organise barbecue nights, have your own rooftop garden or even a sun tanning session! Check out our TikTok to have a sneak peek at the rooftop deck!


Currently, Alchy is pursuing his Master’s Degree of Science in Management at Singapore Management University (SMU) and will be completing his studies this December. He shared with me that he might consider venturing into a similar industry after his graduation.


With only less than 2 months with Cove, we hope he’ll use up the remaining time with us to learn as much as he could and have a great time with his team. We wish you all the best, Alchy!


His tips for future interns? Just prepare yourself to learn as much as you can and enjoy your time at Cove! Do check out our careers page if you’re keen to join us as Cove Superstars!


Wanna know more about other Cove Superstars? Read all about it here!

Meet our Software Engineer who has been us since we were only 6 people strong

Can you believe it, more than 2 years ago, Jamie used to be a Software Engineering Intern with Cove when there were only 6 people in the company, including our founders, Luca, Guillaume and Sophie!


Today, Cove has expanded to more than 50 people strong all over Singapore and Jakarta.


From a small co-working space, Jamie is overwhelmed at how Cove has grown thus far with our own cosy office in Chinatown! According to him, we’re already starting to outgrow the office!


When asked what his day-to-day task at Cove is like, Jamie said that there really isn’t a daily routine, every single day is a different day!


“There's really not a typical day and my tasks are varied and many! But in general, my duties as a Back-end Engineer involve making improvements to our APIs  (Application Programming Interface), so that Hongchiong, our Front End developer, has all the data he needs to create our awesome website!”


Besides that, Jamie is also constantly working on the Integrations with the Property Management system, ensuring our fellow Coveys, just like yourself, have a smooth and hassle-free experience booking their rooms.


In fact, Jamie shared with me that the launch of the Property Management system is one of the most challenging projects he’s handled so far.
 

He had to very quickly learn a lot of new skills and concepts, and immediately put them into practice whilst helping to develop and define processes and procedures, often times from the ground up!


If you feel like you’ve seen Jamie somewhere before, then you’re right! He’s also one of our talents for our lifestyle photoshoot other than Melissa and Aaron!


Jamie totally had loads of fun during the shoot tossing up the salad! Don’t tell anyone but it was also a great opportunity for Jamie to actually get away from the laptop for a change! 😉


Throughout the process, it helped him to appreciate the attention to detail required in producing creative content.


“I'd happily do it again - it's always funny seeing myself pop up on Instagram stories!”


Recently, Jamie welcomed the latest addition to his family - baby Toby!


When asked how is it like handling the new bundle of joy and work, Jamie told me that it’s worth every sleepless night! Aww. 🥺


“He is wonderful. Anyone who's had a baby or worked with very young ones will know they can be pretty challenging at times, but it's also incredibly rewarding.”


Working from home also helps as it allowed Jamie to give his wife some support during the day. He told me that he has to be strict with himself to ensure work time and family time are completely separated and defined.


Well, being a parent during this unprecedented time surely has its own new challenges and it’s great to know that Jamie is handling it just fine!


Click here to read more about Cove Superstars!

Things you should know before trying out co-living

If you’re a fellow Covey reading this, I’m sure you’ve met some of our lovely bookings team members that brought you around for viewings and helped you find your ideal home.


Not only is booking your room very seamless and convenient, you’ll also get to know about the neighbourhood and the homes better with the help of Cove’s very friendly bookings team who accompany you throughout the viewing session!


One of them is Aaron, who joined us back in October last year under the SG Traineeship Programme.


You might think Aaron’s job is just to bring potential Coveys to any of our available properties and show them around, but it’s more than just that!


“I attend to their queries, narrow down suitable rooms and bring them to view the place at our properties. Once they find the right home for them, I will guide them through the admin booking process to ensure a hassle-free and smooth move in experience with us.”


What should future Coveys look out for in a home?


From his experience, Aaron shared that when one is looking for a place to call home, the main features they look out for are the apartment’s layout, size of the rooms and amenities in the common living area.


The condition of the common living room is one of the important parts that influence the decision of potential Coveys! Thankfully, our common living areas in all our homes are decked with a smart TV, a comfortable sofa set and a coffee table, perfect for you to chillax after a hectic day at work.


Other than that, Aaron mentioned that potential Coveys tend to envision themselves living or working in these spaces. 


That’s indeed a great way to know whether you’ll be comfortable in our homes or not. To future Coveys reading this, feel free to take a seat on our chairs at the dining area or sit on the empty bed that you might be renting (if it’s not currently occupied by someone else). 


“Most would also want to know more about their future flatmates. After all, they have to vibe with one another to be staying under the same roof!”


On top of that, location is another essential factor as these potential Coveys would prefer a home close to their workplace or school and within walking distance to a bus stop or MRT station, to cut down on time travelling back and forth.


As part of the bookings team, Aaron has seen and been in most, if not, all of Cove’s properties! In fact, on a busy week, Aaron conducts up to 50 viewings! 😯 


So I asked him what’s his favourite Cove home, so far.


“I personally love the ambience at our Havelock Road walk-up apartment. It is the most memorable home for me so far. There is a great balance between individual private space and our co-living concept there.”

A room at Havelock Road, with a private balcony overlooking Tiong Bahru estate.


If you wish to take a look at how beautiful this walk-up apartment at Tiong Bahru is, take a look at our home tour video on YouTube!


Aaron explained more about why he loves this apartment, mainly because of how intricate and beautiful the interior is.


“It comes fully furnished with modern interior in the common space while retaining a little touch of vintage and heritage by keeping the original shophouse windows. The apartment is designed in a way that fully optimises the space in the apartment, be it working or to unwind with friends. I can totally see myself living there comfortably, be it for the short term or long term.”


What should you know before you decide to try co-living?


As co-living is a rather new concept, Aaron has a few tips on whether one should consider co-living or not.


Firstly, you should come up with a comfortable budget for the new living space. Co-living may appear costlier but one has to understand that Cove includes furniture, kitchenware, wi-fi, housekeeping, maintenance support, manages all bills and even includes A/C servicing into the monthly invoice!


Secondly, you have to know what kind of area you wish to live in. Whether it’s a neighbourhood filled with cafes, bars and restaurants or a conducive environment closer to nature, or a place right in the middle of CBD. If you’re not entirely sure which is the best, check out our neighbourhood guides or ask Aaron!


This third point is important. Are you comfortable with sharing a bathroom or even the kitchen sink? If your answer is yes, then co-living is indeed for you. But if your answer is no, you can always opt for a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom or a studio apartment! 🛀

Studio room at 460A Geylang, equipped with a kitchen and private bathroom.


Lastly, find out about the people who are currently living in the home you’re viewing, do you think you can get along with them? At the end of the day, you’ll be seeing their faces on the daily, so you should be open and comfortable living with others. Who knows, you could end up gaining a new friend or two!


And once you know all these, just share them with Aaron or any of his bookings teammates. This way, they can narrow down the search for you and find the perfect ideal home just for you!


On his off days, Aaron loves building LEGO, just like our Covey, Hendra!


This fellow AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) here has been collecting LEGO ever since he was 7 when he started playing with LEGO City series and building LEGO with creative brick boxes.


Growing up, he started to collect other LEGO series such as the superheroes series from Marvel and DC!


“My latest collection will be LEGO Batwings 1989 from DC series and also LEGO colosseum from Creator series. I am going to start venturing into LEGO Technic series soon!”


On average, Aaron spends about $5000 a year on LEGO sets! 

That’s a massive and interesting collection! 


And if you find Aaron somewhat familiar, that’s because he’s one of our talents and is featured in some of our photos!


Now you know why we call the people behind Cove ‘Cove Superstars’ because we’re super multi-talented!  😉


Read more about our Cove Superstars here.

Not gonna lie, we'd love to stay in Cove homes too. 😉

Love Cove homes? That’s because it’s specially handpicked!

Comfort and safety. Those are the 2 main factors that our Strata Acquisition Manager looks out for when finding new homes for Cove.


That shows how dedicated Moon is in finding the perfect home for you. She makes sure that you feel comfortable, snuggled in your new home, without worrying about anything in your new peaceful and beautiful neighbourhood.


Moon also mentioned that it is very important to rent from reputable operators and trustworthy individuals as there are sadly many cases in which tenants get cheated by landlords or smaller operators.


Luckily for you, Cove takes care of handling all the mundane paperwork and administrative issues, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy living in our fully furnished homes. You don’t even have to worry about dodgy landlords!


Moon joined Cove since December 2019 and she’s been viewing many potential homes ever since. When she was asked what’s her most memorable project so far, she said that the landed property at Jalan Kembangan resonates with her the most.


She loves the quality and the layout of the newly renovated home, “If I am a Covey, I’d love to stay there too!”


In fact, this 4-storey landed property is so cool that it has its very own lift in it!


Being an Eastie, Moon is indeed biased towards Cove properties located in the East. Besides this landed property located near Kembangan MRT station, another personal favourite of hers is a shophouse at Ceylon Road, 6 minutes drive from East Coast Park.


Moon adores the ambience and eateries situated nearby this conservation house. The unique structure of the house reminds Moon of the good ol’ Singapore back in the days.


“I love the roundabout stairs within the house,” she shared.


All the beautiful homes that you see on our website and Instagram are hand-picked by people like Moon. We do all the hard work so you can move-in easy and peacefully without having to worry about the hassle!


Read more about the people behind Cove here.


In case you didn’t know, we’re also on Telegram! Join our channel so you won’t miss out on exclusive deals and perks!

Building a new website from scratch? Our Frontend Developer shares it all.

What started as a hobby for him when he was in primary school, turned into a career more than a decade later.


That’s what Cove’s very own Frontend Developer, Hongchiong, shared with me during a casual conversation over text. During his school days, he actually downloaded lots of games and music, to burn them into CDs (do you still remember what are those?!), so that he could access those games and music for free! 


Shh, don’t tell anyone, it’s our secret! 🤫


He even joked that he should have made more copies to sell as a side business!


Jokes aside, those are the things that made Hongchiong realised that he has a thing for IT actually. And today, he builds and maintains both Cove websites for Singapore and Indonesia. As well as the upcoming tenant management dashboard.


Despite being with Cove for merely less than a year, Hongchiong has been heavily involved in building both new websites from scratch. 


“To reflect Cove’s new branding on the 2 new websites was a pretty challenging task, given the short time frame,” recalled the mahjong lover.


He shared that he had to understand the existing systems and also plan for the tech stack that he should use in order to meet the specifications and timeline. 


After countless discussions (and also late night coding!) with one of our co-founders, Luca, his teammate in charge of the backend, Jamie, and designers from an external agency as well as our very own marketing team, the new websites were successfully launched in October and November last year.


Hongchiong and his teammates were really relieved that the first hurdle was finally over. Now, he’s focusing on maintaining and improving the website experience!


According to Hongchiong, the initial phase of learning the coding fundamentals is the toughest and might seem overwhelming, but he encourages fellow aspiring coders to stick with it and never give up! Because just like life, it gets better.


So the next time you visit our website and love how seamless, user-friendly and how aesthetically pleasing it is, always remember that Hongchiong together with his teammates really put in sweat, blood and tears into it! And if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop us feedback at enquiries@cove.sg :) 


To read more about the talented people at Cove, check out our articles here!

Meet Melissa, the person in charge of beautifying Cove's property photos!

Not your typical intern

Have you ever wondered who is responsible for the beautiful property photos you see on Cove’s listings page, the detailed floor plans that you look at when surveying our homes, or the weekly email that you receive from us which features new properties and also special deals that we have?


Well, that has to be the marketing team’s hard work and one of them is our intern, Melissa! 


“When a new property is being furnished and onboarded, I would make sure we upload some initial photos of the rooms and common areas on the website so we can start advertising them to prospective customers.” 


She would also go on to arrange for professional photos and the 360 virtual tours once the place is fully furnished so that potential Coveys like yourself can actually view how the homes look like when you’re in it! 

One of the rooms at 132 Lorong Sarina, one of Melissa’s favourite properties!


Melissa herself would go down to these new units to beautify the rooms and common areas such as the kitchen and living room, and yes, all the little set-ups in the bedroom found on the desk or bed are arranged by Melissa, with guidance from our interior designer, Gabriel!


Besides that, the third year student at NTU Business School also spearheaded Cove’s LinkedIn content last month. When asked what her hopes for Cove’s LinkedIn are, she replied, “I hope to increase our brand visibility and awareness. Can’t wait to see it grow even more!”


Throughout her 5 months internship with Cove, Melissa has also showcased her Illustrator skills which she picked up by watching YouTube tutorials!


“I have not actually gotten the chance to use it in the working world, but at Cove, I was given the opportunity to learn and also use it.”


With the help of our in-house graphic designer, she managed to complete doing the floorplans within a shorter period of time, design Cove’s flyers and prepare assets for co-marketing partnerships.


Some of you might find Melissa a bit too familiar, as if you’ve seen her somewhere. And… you’re right! 


She’s actually one of our models for Cove’s latest lifestyle photoshoot, so you might have seen Melissa’s face on our Instagram or TikTok! 😉


Recalling her experience as a talent, she shared that it was one of the biggest takeaways from Cove.


“It was an eye-opening experience as I got to see the whole scene from a talent’s point of view which was really amazing. From having to take directions from the producers and then acting the role. It was a challenge initially, but thankfully, I met other experienced models that helped me!”


Melissa’s advice for future interns is that one should not be afraid to voice their opinion or share their ideas in this open and collaborative environment. As a young but growing start-up, the opportunities are endless, while new ideas and initiatives are always encouraged.


After completing her degree in the near 2022, Melissa hopes that she’ll be able to continue to do what she likes which is marketing, and we wish the best for her too!

Meet the man who beautifies your Cove homes!

Secrets of an interior designer

Love the beautiful decoration of our Cove homes and how Insta-worthy each room is? Well, all of that is thanks to Cove’s very own in-house interior designer, Gabriel!


He’s also the person in charge of making sure you feel comfortable and right at home when you move in!

Gabriel, the guy responsible for making sure our homes feel like home!



If you ever wondered where he gets his inspiration from or if there’s any tips you can learn to make your room feel more cosy, keep on reading as we will be sharing all these from this experienced interior designer with 10 years under his belt!


For individuals with a tighter budget, where would you recommend them to shop for house decorations?


I’d recommend Ikea, Comfort Furniture and Jiji. And also Carousell! Carousell is great as you can nego the price and get the best deal out of it!


Any strict dos and don’ts one should follow when decorating rooms or houses?


Less is more! Avoid over-cluttering surfaces in the house. And if you wish to display photo frames, don’t line the same size together, it will look like you’re selling them!



For safety reasons, try not to use furniture with sharp corners in a small space. It also hinders movements.


Share with us some quick and useful tips for room decoration!


Avoid too much colour, the key is to keep it subtle. 


Liven up dead corners of the house with a floor lamp or a potted plant. That always works to brighten the area.


Talking about plants, how would you advise someone who wishes to start decorating their place with indoor plants, which is the trend right now?


Yes, particularly with the work-from-home situation that all of us have grown accustomed to, indoor plants are a must nowadays!


Well, if you’re looking at faux plants, consider having clusters of potted plants instead of single quantities of tall ones in a corner. A composition of tall to short plants would serve better to liven up a dead corner and convey the intent of bringing the outdoors in.

This display of indoor plants on rattan baskets at 460A Geylang Road took Gabriel 2 days to complete! 😱


For real indoor plants, always place them close to a shaded area with sunlight. Ensure that there is a surface below for water to drain to when you water them.


Other than plants, what’s the other “in-thing” for house decoration this year?


2020 has been an unusually eventful year for the world. The work-from-home situation has given us an opportunity to re-evaluate what makes us feel comfortable living and working in the same space.


There’s been an increased awareness in ergonomic seating for example, as we now spend more time in the same chair than ever before. 


For people without a dedicated study, the dining table now has to function as a study desk as well, possibly highlighting the need for access to powerpoints within the dining table itself.


We will be seeing more design solutions that incorporate what used to be workplace considerations into residential spaces.


Now it’s time for more personal questions! Where do you get your inspiration from?


This is somewhat of a Catch-22; there is a saying “you know not what you don’t know until you know what you don’t know”.


As creatives, we can’t create things out of thin air. We always refer to what others have done before and decide if it is creative or not. We look at Pinterest, we google keywords like ‘Scandinavian interiors’, ’minimalist home’, and more recently ‘Marie Kondo home’. 

Modern dining table arrangement by Gabriel at Pinetree Condominum


The danger in approaching design like this is the visual stimulus. It is all too easy to get lost in the information available online.


My approach is first and foremost grounded in the phenomenology of space (understanding the context of the space, how we perceive/experience it in our conscious and subconscious).


I always ask myself these questions: How high is the ceiling height? Are there any windows? Does the site feel spacious or claustrophobic? What are the access points? What are the existing finishes? Does the site have any cultural associations? 


So what made you venture into interior design?


As a child, I was always drawing. Anything from dinosaurs to monsters, anime characters, and as I get older, portraits of people. 


The very notion of being able to put my ideas/ thoughts on paper and seeing them materialize with every stroke, change in pressure or rhythm always intrigued me.


Over time, as I matured in my understanding of colour, perception of depth, and materiality, I began taking an interest in the visual and spatial composition of the physical world, which then led me to interior architecture. 


So in a way, what I previously did for fun foreshadowed what I would be doing for the rest of my career!


Don’t miss out on our other bite-sized lifestyle reads:

Simple tips on how to get along with your flatmates

showing blogposts with #Cove superstars