Meet the winners of the Tatler Homes Design Awards 2023 - Malaysia

This spiralling helix swoops vertiginously up three stories. The dramatic curves impart a dynamic sense of movement to the atrium and feature a circular skylight at the top of the flight of stairs. Precariously perched over a seemingly razor-thin surface, it imparts a tense reaction which gradually dissipates as the reflective pond counteracts and conveys a calming sense."

Bee Eu Tan, founder of BETA Architects and THDA jury member, opines: "Excellent control of aesthetics, proportion, tones and harmonious blend with nature."

Fellow jury member Kian Liew, head of global interior design and technical services at The Ascott, remarks: "I was immediately drawn to the imposing curved staircase, sculptural and elegant. The project also featured well-planned circulation, a sense of understated luxury and felt airy, drawing much light into the interior spaces.

See also: 5 hotels that nail Wes Anderson’s aesthetic

This category, sponsored by Sime Darby Property and SKS, went to a home in Miri designed by Design Network Architects (DNA) belonging to a pair of siblings gifted 1.5 acres of land by their father adjacent to his home. The award-winning Kuching-based firm was tasked with building both houses on this enormous compound.

Principles of tropical design and green sustainability drove the conception of the houses, which were designed in unison as a complementary pair.

To this end, the houses prioritise open spaces and have seven courtyards, all allowing the outdoors to integrate with the interior while providing visual focus. The houses' layouts were also designed to promote good cross-ventilation.

Lighting was an essential component in the design of the houses, and both houses used a lot of secondary aluminium screens as a means to filter and articulate sunlight into the interior and to reduce heat build-up. As a result, the interiors are well-lit with direct and ambient lighting, with a beguiling interplay of shadows and light throughout the day.

THDA judges Ed Ng, principal and co-founder of AB Concept, and Tan, weigh in. Ng states: "The sprawling land size is suitably utilised with indoor and outdoor landscaping as well as facilitating sustainable use in the long term."

Tan was particularly impressed with the careful planning and orientation of the houses.

Don't miss: 7 most beautiful Aesop stores around the world

Nicknamed "Introverse", the home of architect Chun Hooi Tan, director of Core Design Workshop and his wife, an art gallerist, put a new way of living to the test where a home is organised in an introverted manner.

Architecture takes precedence in redefining the garden where a full-height linear garden wall was installed. Suspended on a steel structure, hovering above the ground and running 10ft from the perimeter fencing, this created a new walled garden within a garden. 

The house is covered in new metal roofing while preserving the original building profile, and entirely stripped internally to create simple and minimal spaces. This spirit of minimalism is further expressed in its material selections, architecture finishings, built-ins, and interior furnishings, which are punctuated where appropriate with a solid bright yellow.

Omar Khan, the founder of Omar Khan Rugs and THDA judge, states: "Sometimes an absence of colour is the best use of colour, and with this project having most of the space in white proved to be the perfect stage to let the highlight yellow pop. There was enough breathing room to punctuate the visual narrative, allowing the yellow to speak volumes without overpowering the space." 

Liew agrees, citing that this home uses a delightful layer of colours without being contrived.

Read more: 6 ways to create a warm minimalist space

MCL Land's Sfera is a transit-oriented development and the first residence in Wangsa Maju with a sky roof link bridge.

The low-density, two-tower complex was mindfully conceptualised to offer a well-rounded lifestyle, combining a private retreat in a tranquil suburb adjacent to nature with the excitement of the capital just a stone’s throw away.

Sfera’s Tower A comprises 233 units ranging from compact one-bedroom units of 541sq ft up to spacious three-bedroom units of 1,371 sq ft.

The show units were designed by 2nd Edition with a view towards maximising space and creating cosy corners. As a result, the furniture is contemporary and chic, with particular attention to wall finishes and gently curved built-ins.

Ng was impressed by this project, saying: "A show unit serves to inspire dream-making, and this delivers with its a strong inventory of detailing, luxurious touch points, and overall warmth."

Khan continues: "What I like about this particular show unit is that the designer took risks to create a sense of whimsy and to elevate what a living space should be. I also felt like I could picture living in the space, which to me, is the real measure of success when it comes to show units."

See also: Home tour: A seaside Penang apartment designed to feel like a “holiday everyday”

A semi-detached home in Duta Nusantara, Mont Kiara, was transformed by Pins Design Studio for a young family.

Inspired by the abundance of nature around it, the designers created a nature-inspired minimalist interior and a memorable statement within the home with the insertion of a tree that spans upwards to create a vertical dialogue with the upper levels.

Rooted on the ground floor, the tree merges with a long counter that begins at a raised platform within an internal courtyard resembling a Japanese chabudai before extending horizontally to form the dining table.

From design gestures to materials, wood was a natural choice for built-ins and details. This is especially evident in the kitchen, where the designers employed custom-made wood cabinetry to keep the warm and welcoming theme consistent.

Judge Lai Siew Hong, interior designer and co-founder Blu Water Studio opines: "This minimalist interior infused a warm and cosy feel through the use of one single wood throughout the whole house with a subtle interplay of textures and natural palette."

Ng says: "The calm that presides through the residence is feasible with the consistency of materials and thoughtfulness demonstrated at all turns, such as the chamfered edge of a platform and deliberate gap of a balustrade."

Don't miss: Inside 5 delightfully designed dessert spots in the Klang Valley

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Pins Design Studio is composed of a group of professionals that love design and how it creates a quality lifestyle.

Established by Siiyuan Tan, Eric Ooi and Yew Shin Leong, the firm specialises in interior design, architecture and decoration to create work that combines form and function.

The young, dynamic team focuses on bespoke concepts that have resulted in creative homes with memorable elements and meticulous detailing.

Ng praises this studio "for establishing a language that belongs only to oneself, yet mouldable in various expressions." Meantime, Liew describes the studio work as having "good design discipline in observing the grammar and vocabularies of design, such as capturing all datum and mullion lines without compromising on the aesthetics."

Read more: ‘Every building is a house’: Kengo Kuma on the future of architecture

Formerly known as the Lee Rubber Building in Petaling Street, Studio Bikin undertook the transformation of the heritage building. Now known as Else, Studio Bikin conceptualised the design and oversaw the restoration, executed by Faizah Architect.

The 49-room property sprawls over 56,000 sq ft across seven levels, with a lovingly restored facade setting the tone for the atmospheric spaces.

With a design language that sensitively balances the new and the old, the raw and the refined, the ground floor hosts the lobby and all-day dining restaurant Raw Kitchen Hall; it was outfitted with sculptural wood furniture, retro banquette seating, and a backdrop of Roman columns.

In addition, a series of multi-levelled atrium spaces were punched through the floors of the existing building to expand the spread of natural light and ventilation into the corridor spaces leading to the rooms. 

The space was finessed with exquisite rugs by Omar Khan, antiquities and art pieces from award-winning Malaysian artists and curated international artists.

Tan, who has won several awards for adaptive reuse projects, was drawn to this "sensitive intervention in a heritage building."

Ng enthuses: "Breathing new use for a restoration project is always intriguing and creating such amiable, rich and inviting interiors within this context is even harder work."

NOW READ

Home tour: An American-style Bali house with modern coastal influences

Home tour: A minimalist Malaysian home for a colour blind owner

Home tour: How a historic New York City townhouse was transformed into an eclectic, modern haven