Killiney Café / Exchange Concept
The branding direction is inspired by the rich heritage of traditional Singapore coffee culture, especially the old Killiney Road kopitiam identity. The original storefront carries a strong nostalgic character — simple signage, shophouse architecture, street-facing openness, and an honest neighbourhood café atmosphere. This forms the historical foundation of the brand: familiar, local, warm, and deeply connected to everyday Singapore life. Our design direction reinterprets this heritage into a more refined, contemporary café environment. Instead of copying the old kopitiam style directly, we modernise its essence through a luxury café language suitable for a shopping mall and lifestyle destination. The design keeps the spirit of a traditional coffee house but elevates it with premium materials, better lighting, stronger spatial planning, and a more curated hospitality experience.
The timber canopy and warm wood finishes reference the old shophouse and traditional kopi stall warmth, while the marble counter introduces a clean and premium modern identity. Brass accents, soft ambient lighting, and refined detailing help transform the café from a casual local brand into a lifestyle café concept with stronger commercial appeal.
The planting strategy brings freshness and softness into the space, balancing the darker timber floor and architectural structure. The indoor greenery also creates a calmer dining environment, allowing the café to feel more relaxed, natural, and inviting within a busy mall setting.
The signboard design becomes the main brand anchor. It is positioned as a strong visual focal point, using bold illuminated lettering to create immediate recognition from the mall walkway. The updated signage respects the original Killiney identity but presents it in a cleaner, more premium way. Overall, the design direction is:
It combines old Singapore coffee culture with contemporary hospitality design — warm, refined, familiar, and premium. The final concept is not only about decoration, but about creating a stronger brand experience: a place where customers can still feel the comfort of tradition, while enjoying a more elevated and sophisticated café environment
TDA Singapore provides design consultancy, interior design, project management and procurement for residential, commercial and hospitality spaces.
TDA works across residential, commercial and hospitality interiors, developing design approaches tailored to each project.
TDA is based in Singapore and works on projects in Singapore and selected international locations.
Yes. Depending on the project scope, TDA can provide project management and procurement support alongside design consultancy and interior design.
