Of Shophouses and Sovereign Flags

In Singapore, the conserved shophouses are a design delight - owners love to use their traditional dwellings to express individual flair, and how they paint their front says a lot about them. In a row of shophouses, there’s a clear property line between the neighbouring houses, with a defined vertical split between 2 colours. I started taking pictures with the 55SH lined up in the middle, and right away clocked that these could suggest a flag. What did these combinations suggest to you?

Meaning: Blood, courage, revolution, sacrifice, power

Red shows up everywhere because history is dramatic.

• In many European flags, red traces back to medieval war banners and royal standards.

• In socialist and revolutionary movements (USSR, China, Vietnam), red symbolizes workers’ struggle and revolution.

• In Asian contexts, red also carries luck and prosperity, especially influenced by Chinese culture.

Red is basically the “high-volume” colour of flags

This could be Singapore or Switzerland

Meaning: Sky, ocean, freedom, vigilance, stability

Blue became popular with naval powers and coastal nations.

• The UK and former British colonies inherited blue through imperial flag traditions.

• In the US flag, blue stands for vigilance and justice.

• Nordic countries associate blue with seas and skies.

Blue is geography wearing a suit and tie.

This could be Scotland, Greece or Finland

Meaning: Land, agriculture, fertility, Islam, hope

Green has two major roots:

1. Nature: Used by agrarian nations to symbolize fertile land and growth.

2. Religion: In many Muslim-majority countries (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan), green is sacred in Islamic tradition.

Green is the eco-spiritual colour hybrid.

This could be Nigeria or Pakistan

Meaning: Wealth, sun, royalty, minerals, energy

Gold tones often signal power and prosperity.

• Spain and imperial Europe used gold to reflect monarchy and wealth.

• African flags use yellow to represent natural resources and sunlight.

• In Latin America, yellow often references gold from colonial-era mining.

Yellow is basically sunlight converted into symbolism.

This could be Ukraine or Sweden

Meaning: Strength, endurance, colonial resistance, historical identity

Black is less common but deeply meaningful.

• In Pan-African flags, black represents African people and identity.

• In Germany, it traces back to resistance movements against Napoleonic rule.

• Some Middle Eastern flags use black to reference historical Islamic dynasties.

Black is memory with muscle.

This could be The Jolly Roger (Pirate Flag)

Flags rarely mean just one thing. They evolve. A colour that started as “royal power” can later be rebranded as “national unity.” History edits its own legend.

Think of flags as living logos. Same fabric, new stories. And have fun when you wander the conserved neighbourhoods and see the colour combinations

If you are visiting Singapore, let me guide you on a GPS-assisted guided audio walking tour of Chinatown to take in the street stories of the murals that adorn the walls of multiple buildings. It features 3 of the best artists in Singapore, I’ll take you to 5 murals, this temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, the largest Buddhist temple and bring you to eat at a place that lives and breaths Singapore’s Hawker Culture at Maxwell Food Market. My walking tour of Kampong Glam drops the 1st week of February 2026!