blog | Cove

discover our insider lifestyle features covering Singapore’s co-living scene, well-being, things to do, places to visit, trendy eateries and beyond.

It's been a tough year, but we pulled through 

Finally, goodbye 2020!

What a ride. Who would have thought this year would be such a hectic and unpredictable year?


Travelling? Cancelled. Socialising? Limited to Zoom. Going out? Don’t forget your mask!


While 2020 has been a very challenging year, I’m sure most of us had positive things that happened.


The introvert in us enjoyed staying home, nestled in bed while doing work. We adopted more and more indoor plants because we miss the flora outside. Some of us got hooked on TikTok because we were so bored and miss dancing in the clubs (speaking of which, check out Cove’s TikTok 😜)!


To wrap up this strange year, we took a look back at our 2020 to spread some of the best things we got out of this year. 

Cove 2020 at a glance


Let’s all wish for a happier and pandemic-free 2021, and if you need the encouragement to break up with 2020, here’s a Cove-curated Spotify playlist just for you. 🎧

These Christmas decorations sleigh

This festive season, we got Coveys to send us photos of their beautifully decorated living rooms, and oh deer! We had a hard time picking the best photo, but here are our favourites!

The colourful and vibrant stockings make Hendra's living room more festive indeed!


For Hendra, traditions had to be preserved, so he took the time to decorate his home!


Even though he is unable to spend this meaningful season with his family back home in Surabaya, Indonesia, due to the pandemic, the Christmas spirit is still alive and can be seen through the decoration in his living room!


We totally love the stockings above the television, adding colours to brighten up the mood. And we can’t stop ourselves but to admire his collectible Lego sets too! 


Fairies, mystic and hippie spirit were inspiration for Oscar to light up his living room the way he did.


One will surely feel like they got transported into a fantasy world stepping into Oscar’s living room, right? 🌟


Kudos to Oscar and his flatmates for going above and beyond (quite literally) to put up the lights in their Cove living room!

Anastasia, Alexey, Wen and Ryan looking very elated with their Christmas decoration 
that they've put up, photo taken by Michaila.


Making everyone smile was the main goal they had when decorating their common space. This is because they wanted to make their house feel more homely since all of them are unable to spend Christmas back home.


Michaila, Ryan, Wen, Alexi and Nastia have spent a lot of time together this year when they all moved in, which was something they did not expect. 


And for Christmas, they’ll be hanging out together with a group of friends over a nice meal and movies! That’s what flatmates are for 🤗


We hope you’ll have a splendid Christmas with your flatmates, friends and family (via Zoom of course) and don’t forget to decorate your home for some festive vibes before it’s too late! 


Need some inspiration to decorate your common areas? Here’s how we did it at Cove’s latest home at Hock Mansion.

That’s a very cute snowman, isn’t it?


If you want to see more of our Christmas decorations, head down to our TikTok to check it out.


A round of santa-plause to all of you who took the time to make your living room look more festive this season. Merry Christmas! 🎅

No idea where to go this Thanksgiving? Don't worry, we got you!

4 eateries for your turkey cravings!

Thanksgiving is just a week away, and if you are still wondering if you should host a dinner at your place or simply book a restaurant to enjoy a hassle-free Thanksgiving dinner, look no more! 


Here are some of our recommendations for Thanksgiving dinner if you’re looking to either book a table at a restaurant or get the entire dinner sent to your doorstep. 🦃


Pre-order your turkeys from Wolfgang’s Steakhouse if you wish to celebrate this holiday at home. You can choose to collect or get your Turkey Takeaway delivered to you between 26th and 29th November. 


But, if you’d like to enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal, a one-night only traditional turkey dinner will be happening on the 26th November! Priced at $158++ per pax, you’ll get to dig in Wolfgang’s Steakhouse boneless turkey breast and USDA Prime Petite Filet Mignon, served with roasted vegetables, baked sweet potato, and stuffing. Top the indulgent meal with a delicious apple strudel served with ice-cream. 🍦


Opening hours: Monday - Friday, 11.30am - 11.30pm
Location: Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay, #02-01
Website: wolfgangssteakhouse.sg


Following its tradition, Meatsmith at Telok Ayer will be offering their Thanksgiving dinner this 26th November.


At $108++ per person, you will be able to feast upon a free flow of smoked turkey served with cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, mashed potato & turkey gravy, sweet potato casserole with orange, pumpkin pie and many more!


To avoid disappointment, book your reservation as early as possible!


Opening hours: Monday - Sunday, 11.30am - 11.45pm
Location: 167-169 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068620
Website: meatsmith.com.sg


For only $58++, celebrate classic American Thanksgiving over a special three-course set menu at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. You will be served with beetroot, goat cheese and pecan salad for appetiser before indulging in carved oven roasted turkey with butternut stuffing, complete with a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, available exclusively on 26 November. 😋


Opening hours: Mon - Thursday, 11am - 10pm
                            Friday, 11am-11pm
                            Saturday, 10am -11pm
                            Sunday, 10am - 10pm
Location: Marina Bay Sands, #B1-07
Website: runchickenrun.com/singapore/

Celebrate Thanksgiving at home with Little Farms Cafe, at a starting price of only $36! For that price, you can enjoy Manuka Honey Bourbon Glazed Turkey Breast Roulade. If you're hosting a bigger party, the Thanksgiving Turkey Family Meal would be perfect for 8-10 people at $188, that comes together with  roasted winter vegetables with pine nuts and thyme, and rosemary roasted baby potatoes with garlic.


This menu is also available for dine-in from 26 to 29 November, 12pm to 8.30pm.


And if you order before 18th November, you’ll receive a free whole pumpkin pie! 


Opening hours: Monday - Sunday, 7.30am - 8.30pm

Location: Valley Point Shopping Centre, #01-21/22/23


We are sure that you'll have a great Thanksgiving with your family and flatmates with any of the delicious turkey delights that we've shared!

We asked some of our Coveys what they miss back home and how they plan on celebrating Deepavali this year.

We asked our Coveys what they are up to this Deepavali!

Diwali — a day full of food, family time and spiritual reflection!

Celebrated by millions across the world, Deepavali, also known as Diwali, marks the triumphant of light over darkness. 

Being away from family during this pandemic sure makes one feel a little lonely especially so during this COVID-19 season where the situation is out of our control. To reminisce about this important festival, we asked some of our Coveys what they miss the most about celebrating this joyous occasion.


For most of them, this day is all about gathering together with family. Regardless of where one is, it is always important to travel back home to spend Diwali with their loved ones! 😊

As nicely put by Akhsit, “it is time for a reunion, meeting your loved ones, playing cards and binge eating food till late night!”

Akshit (middle, in black) posing together with his family for a photo during last year’s Diwali celebration.

He even shared that a week before Deepavali, he and his friends and relatives would have parties till 6 am in the morning, causing them to gain a few extra kilograms! That’s a party we’d definitely love to be invited to! ;) 


Diwali celebrations in India are always very grand, where one can view the houses decorated very beautifully with lights, candles and flowers from across the street. Even though Kanav is unable to celebrate this meaningful day with his family back home, he will surely keep them in his prayers by having a small blessed gathering.

Kanav, looking dapper, together with his mom during Deepavali 2019 in New Delhi.

As for Shyam (and everyone else of course), food is the main star during this celebration! He plans to order in some good ol’ classic biryani while chilling with his flatmates.  🥘

Shyam, together with his flatmates and friends, having advanced Diwali dinner. 
They are also very excited to spend their first Diwali in their new Cove home!


To complete this festive meal, he recommended ready-to-go Gulab Jamun from Haldiram’s. He loves to keep things simple, “living the bachelor life,” he said!

And of course, what’s Deepavali without spiritual reflection? Aditya shared with us that this is also the perfect time to reflect on all the things they have done in the past one year. 🙏



Aditya’s mom looking gorgeous in her saree, by the fireworks during Deepavali last year.


“We all sit and discuss all the things we did during the past year. Both good and bad. We share the thoughts on our future, what we are planning to do, and get the input and advice from elders so that we can have a better way to do things.”



It’s a great time for us to reconnect with our friends and family, and enjoy some scrumptious food together, even if it has to be a virtual celebration this year. Plus the great thing about staying in a co-living home is that you’re not alone and you can always count on asking your flatmate(s) out and introducing your favourite Deepavali festive food to them so that everyone can join in the festivities together. 

Diwali — a day full of food, family time and spiritual reflection

Halloween at home

Covid-19 measures are still in place which means we may not be able to go out to Halloween parties or even host Halloween gatherings like we used to. But it doesn’t mean we should just stay home to Netflix & chill and not pretend to be a scary zombie during the only day (or rather night) that we can be one! 🧟



Here are some tips on how you can still spook your flatmates with eerie decorations and quick costumes during this annual celebration:



Looking for a cheap yet fun way to spend time together with your flatmates to make your common space more haunted? All you need is acrylic paint, brushes and some kind of fruit. It doesn’t have to be a pumpkin! 





The fruit is your canvas! Simply paint the fruit into a gourd lantern look-alike. Play around with other shapes and sizes and unleash your creativity by adding cute and playful colours and faces!



If painting is not your thing, this next activity is probably not as messy and won’t take too much of your time too. You will need scissors, glue and a few coloured papers.





You can easily download the monster template here or draw your own. After you are done with that, cut it and paste them on your windows to protect yourself from mere mortals! 👻



Art and craft is not for you? We hear you! Just head down to your nearest Daiso to get your Halloween decorations at only $2 each! You can also get more Halloween decorations at Spotlight too.



Here’s how we used some low cost accessories to decorate the living room and bedrooms to make it spookier!






We transformed this Standard Room @ Pinetree Condo into a gothic looking bedroom, filled with cobwebs, spiders, bats and even almost every witches’ familiar - a black cat!





Looking for something scary yet practical? This skeleton bucket can also be a storage space for you to place your TV remote console or even your snacks when you are binging on your favourite horror movie on Netflix!




With this deadly looking skeleton by your bedside, accompanied by its cute bat and devil friends, you will forever be reminded that it’s Spook-tober right when you wake up!


Heading to a Halloween dinner and suddenly you receive a text from your friends saying they will show up in costumes? But you have no costumes to put on? These quick Halloween costumes will come in handy!



If boba is your personality trait, this costume is just right for you. Simple yet quirky, all you need for this costume is:




The black pom poms on the bottom of your dress are the bobas while the pink paper towel on your head is the straw! How cute is that? For more detailed instructions, read on here.



Or if you want to look scarier, try this classic skeleton look! All you need is your favourite black tee, scissors and a duct tape. 



Just cut out the duct tape accordingly and paste it on your shirt and pants. It’s super easy and doesn’t take a lot of your time if you’re in a rush!




Bored of the regular snacks and you wanna try something festive this Halloween? You’re in for a treat! Grab your peanut butter, Oreos, Reese’s cup and some candy eyes and let’s make Reese’s Bats!





It’s very simple to put these together. Just break your oreos into two, smear the back of it with as much peanut butter as you like and place it on top of a Reese’s cup (as shown in the picture above!). To complete the bat look, put some candy eyes to make it more realistic!



Another Halloween snack idea is the Pizza Monsters. If you have some leftover pizzas from last night’s dinner, heat it up and place sliced olives to unleash the monster!






And to make these Pizza Monsters scarier, give it bloody lips by squeezing some ketchup or hot sauce!

Do try out these fun activities with your friends and families during this spooky season! Happy Halloween!

showing blogposts with #celebration

Finally, goodbye 2020!

These Christmas decorations sleigh

4 eateries for your turkey cravings

Diwali — a day full of food, family time and spiritual reflection

Halloween at home

discover

company