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.

We know you miss your home, this is why Cove brings your home to you.

Homesick in the 21st Century

It is your first week in a whole new country as you have relocated to Singapore. You thought you have settled in and had a good week at work. 


After all, your new colleagues seem nice and they even threw you a welcome party via Zoom. So, what could be wrong? 


It is only after your family and friends sent you pictures of their own mini gatherings with the caption ‘missing you’ do you understand what is with this heavy feeling. 


Homesickness is common and it’s only natural for one to feel it as it can affect anyone. After all, it is often a transition between two completely different worlds. 


It can make you feel confused as you try to understand a totally new culture and place while trying to find a new social circle and like-minded individuals. 


Sometimes it helps to be amongst people. For instance, you can try co-living in Singapore compared to living on your own in a studio apartment to avoid cabin fever. 




With flatmates around, at least you know you have people to turn to when you are feeling lonely or need the extra help to get food or basic necessities. 


Unsure about co-living? Our leasehold is only a minimum of 3 months, in accordance with local regulations! 

Making new friends with your flatmates and joining different events are some ways to be a part of the co-living community. 


With Cove, there will always be events all year round, allowing you to mingle and build social connections. Having a friendly face who is willing to do fun things with you is one way to help distract you from missing home.


When you are up for it, go ahead and explore your surroundings, check out the good food Singapore has to offer. Singapore has an abundance of hawker centres. Maxwell Food Centre, Newton Food Centre, Ayer Rajah Food Centre... oh the list is endless! 


Besides, stepping out of your “homesick zone” by exploring a new environment can be liberating and distracting. 


At the end of it, know that you are not alone and that you have friends. It is never goodbye, but rather a new chapter. 

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

Your Covey flatmates will always welcome you with open hands. 

6 ways to befriend your new flatmates!

6 ways to befriend your flatmates!

It is no secret that co-living is indeed a fun way to make new friends from different diverse backgrounds, and a chance for us to expand our social network. But, what if you’re an introvert individual or just a little bit out of touch on how to socialise after quarantining during this pandemic? 



Here’s a short guide on how you can be a bestie to your flatmate!



Saying hi or greeting your flatmates in the morning when you’re in the common shared space like the kitchen or living room is a great way to warm things up. Hardly anything can go wrong with a friendly hello, especially when it comes with a smile! 





From there, go ahead and get to know them more by asking them simple questions like what they do for work, what they like to do during their free time or what they like to eat!



2. Show generosity

Bought a little too much from the market? Why not share it with your flatmates?! Just let them know whenever you buy extra fruits or ice cream so they can help themselves to. You can also offer help (or even share a skill) when you feel like your flatmates need a hand like helping them stock up on groceries when you shop online so you can all benefit from free deliveries!




Another great idea is to share a Netflix account! Not only could you enjoy movie nights together, it’s also more savings so it’s totally a win-win situation for everyone. That monthly Netflix bill can be split amongst yourselves, another hack to not burn a hole in your pocket! 😜



3. Be culturally sensitive

While co-living allows us to meet people of diverse cultures, it also exposes us to different cultural practices from all over the world. So it’s important that we are mindful of the cultural beliefs and practices of the people we live with. 

For instance, if your flatmate happens to be vegan, do include vegan options during pizza nights!

One way to be more culturally sensitive towards your flatmates is to simply ask them! It’s definitely a great way to know about one another’s cultural practices and also to understand one another more. And who knows, you might also pick up a new language while learning about your flatmates culture!

4. Be kind

Some of us may be new to co-living, others are away from our loved ones, or probably they have recently relocated to Singapore. It’s important to remember that everyone is going through different situations in life and we should always be kind to one another. Talk to your flatmates if you need a listening ear and build a social connection with them during your free time. 

Even more so during this Covid-19 pandemic where most of us are working from home and away for a long time from our families, it’s always good to check on one another’s mental health! Take a break together, go for walks in the park to enjoy nature’s view or just chillax by the swimming pool to unwind. Or you can always head out to the nearest shopping mall for a quick retail therapy!

5. Surprise them

If their birthday is coming up, why not organise a little party for them? Or maybe just to celebrate their milestones like getting promoted, securing a big deal or even little things like when they successfully score a date with the person they’ve been chatting to for days!

These celebrations may be small but it is surely something worth celebrating!





6. Same interest? 

If you and your flatmates have the same hobbies, that’s even better! Now you have someone to play the latest PS5 game together, talk about the new iPhone 12 or even go for a dance class together!

You can even meet new people together at community events and partake in the same activities together. This is what co-living is all about! Where you live in a community where you belong. 




It isn’t that hard to befriend your flatmates, with these 6 easy ways, the next thing you know, your flatmate is now your bestie!

showing blogposts with #community

Homesick in the 21st Century

Secrets of an interior designer

6 ways to befriend your new flatmates!

discover

company