The Challenging Change

LAUGH. DREAM. CLAP. SHARE. FORGIVE. CELEBRATE. LOVE.

My Awesome Café was founded on the principle of renewal. Together with my creative collaborators, we conceptualised this labour of love as a tribute to the spirit of Singapore. By uniting the values of the past and the vision for the future, we were able to create the perfect melting pot of the old and new.

We used an unconventional design strategy that was to reverse-design the interior to seamlessly blend with the exterior. This resulted in a different feel of industrial chic, warm and inviting as opposed to cold and uber trendy. 

The pillar of our design philosophy is literally the pillars that frame the façade of the old Chung Hwa Free Clinic 中华医院, a shophouse that has seen better days. We deliberately kept the old signage of Singapore’s first TCM hospital and in a way, this created a mystique for My Awesome Café, much to the delight of those in the know.  

We wanted My Awesome Café to be a dedicated place for the like-minded community. Hence, the symbolic use of runway beacon lights at the entrance, re-purposed as pendant lights, greeting our guests by saying “Welcome home”.  Most of the furniture and design features of My Awesome Café are upcycled, recycled, and reinvented. Thrifted school tables, scrap firehouse pipes, vintage dinnerware, and other found objects contribute to the overall look and feel of the cafe. Beyond furnishings, the design language for My Awesome Café deftly combines eastern and western elements. Our logo integrates Chinese and English characters in one unified emblem. 

For first-timers, the discovery of a Chinese-looking establishment that serves French-inspired cuisine is an experience in itself. For those who come in seeking treatment at the Chung Hwa Free Clinic, healthy renewal comes in other forms. Somehow, eating with Grandma’s old dinnerware from the 70s, even seeing toys and objects from childhood, remind us of forgotten simple joys that can revive our spirit. 

It is a monumental expression that the most beautiful things, such as kindness, will always be rekindled. Because there's innate awesomeness in every one of us and our only duty is to simply let the light shine in. At My Awesome Cafe, we have created a place for people to just BE.

Created with love by Coach Bongster & Gang