The Intan: Alvin Yapp's Peranakan house-museum in Joo Chiat, Singapore

In a terraced shophouse at 69 Joo Chiat Terrace, in Singapore, lives Alvin Yapp. His home is also a museum: The Intan, from the Malay word for "rose-cut diamond." Yapp began collecting objects of Peranakan culture in the early 2000s, founded The Intan in 2003, and opened the house to visitors in 2010. Today the rooms where he sleeps and receives guests hold more than 5,000 pieces: beaded slippers (kasut manek), tiered food containers (tiffin carriers), embroideries, jewellery, and an antique wedding bed. This is not a collection behind sterile glass, but objects arranged in a real home, where the line between furnishing and artefact barely exists.

The Peranakans

The Peranakans, or Baba-Nyonya, are the descendants of Chinese merchants who settled in the Straits of Malacca from the 15th century onward, blending Chinese, Malay, and European traditions into a culture of their own: cuisine, dress, ceramics, and brightly coloured furniture. Joo Chiat and neighbouring Katong are the historic heart of this community in Singapore; the district has been designated the city's first "Heritage Town." The rows of colourful shophouses lining the streets are the natural setting into which The Intan fits.

The visit

What sets it apart from a conventional museum is the way you experience it. There are no audio guides, no labels: you can only enter by appointment, and Yapp himself leads the tour. The visit usually begins with hospitality: you sit around period tables and chairs while the host tells stories about Peranakan culture, weddings, the objects, and how he came to find them. Upstairs, where photography is not allowed, are the most intimate pieces: garments, jewellery, and the wedding trousseaus. The most common format is the "Tea Experience," a guided tour of about an hour with a light refreshment; there is also an option that includes a home-cooked Peranakan lunch. For hours, prices, and private bookings, write to contactus@the-intan.com or use the "Book a Tour" page on the-intan.com. It's worth booking well in advance: places are few and time slots limited, usually concentrated between Friday and Sunday.

A piece of advice Yapp gives himself: come having read something beforehand, and above all with questions to ask him. The value of the visit lies in the conversation, not in mere observation. It's worth taking this seriously, because what you take home depends a great deal on how willing you are to chat.

Not a secret

The Intan is no secret: it has appeared in Singapore Airlines' in-flight safety video and has been featured by CNN Travel, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic. Still, it remains a niche experience in scale and format, a world away from the crowded major museums downtown.

Getting there

Getting there: Joo Chiat Terrace is a quiet street, away from the main arteries, in the eastern part of the city. The nearest MRT stations are Paya Lebar and Eunos (Dakota is not far either); from there you reach the house by bus or on a fifteen-minute walk among the neighbourhood's shophouses. All around, Katong and Joo Chiat offer one of the best settings to taste Katong laksa and browse the decorated facades, rounding out the day around the visit.