Cover The living room in this Penang studio looking toward the main artwork wall: the large painting in its dark timber frame, the console below stacked with objects and books, the travertine coffee table, the Barcelona chair and a stacked floor lamp
The living room in this Penang studio looking toward the main artwork wall: the large painting in its dark timber frame, the console below stacked with objects and books, the travertine coffee table, the Barcelona chair and a stacked floor lamp
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Strange Wu Studio converted a mid-century semi-detached house in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, into a 1,500-square-foot studio built around loose furniture, original mosaic tiles, and a two-year curation process
Colloquially known as Hillside, this suburb in Tanjung Bungah on the northern part of Penang island is a mix of semi-detached houses and bungalows built for Royal Australian Air Force personnel who made their homes in this beachside suburb in the postwar decades. The RAAF has long since gone, but the houses remain, and with them a particular architectural vernacular that has survived largely by being overlooked.
Edmund Ooi found a semi-detached house that still had most of its original character: terrazzo mosaic flooring, worn timber boards, the proportions of a 1962 house that nobody had thought to update. In Penang, that is increasingly hard to find.
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Above Edmund Ooi, founder of Strange Wu Studio, at the entrance of the 1962 semi-detached house in Tanjung Bungah
Edmund Ooi, founder of Strange Wu Studio, at the entrance of the 1962 semi-detached house in Tanjung Bungah
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“Most old buildings here have been heavily modernised or completely gutted,” Ooi says. “I wanted to preserve and celebrate what was already there instead of erasing it.”
Ooi founded Strange Wu Studio in 2021, focusing on luxury residential interiors and high-end commercial spaces. The three-person practice positions itself explicitly against trend-driven work, favouring what he describes as deeply personal, sensory-driven environments.
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Above The main living area, anchored by a backlit glass block wall etched with the studio’s name
The main living area, anchored by a backlit glass block wall etched with the studio’s name
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Above The reception room in full: the large tropical garden tapestry anchors the far wall above the console, with the travertine coffee table, Barcelona chair and stacked ceramic floor lamp
The reception room in full: the large tropical garden tapestry anchors the far wall above the console, with the travertine coffee table, Barcelona chair and stacked ceramic floor lamp
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The renovation of the 1,500-square-foot space took four months. Ooi designed it himself, translating what he calls the quiet elegance of the 1960s and 1970s into a contemporary tropical context. Rather than stacking the walls with built-in cabinetry, he chose loose furniture and custom-made movable cabinets throughout, each built in close collaboration with a carpenter. The room can shift configurations in minutes: material library one morning, client meeting space by afternoon.
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Above The bar counter, with a dark stone top and brushed stainless steel base, sits beneath two PH5-style pendant lights in chrome
Above A detail of the original mosaic floor tiles, white with a black dot pattern, with the crossed teak legs of a campaign stool visible above
The bar counter, with a dark stone top and brushed stainless steel base, sits beneath two PH5-style pendant lights in chrome
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Above The custom freestanding cabinet opens to reveal a walnut interior lined in decorative fabric
Above A detail of the custom display cabinet interior: warm walnut shelving lined with a peacock-motif fabric
The custom freestanding cabinet opens to reveal a walnut interior lined in decorative fabric
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The curation took considerably longer than the construction. Sourcing lighting, objects, furniture, and art from different states and countries occupied the better part of two years. Every lamp, decorative object, and piece of furniture was tracked down individually, considered against the others, then kept or set aside.
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Above PH5 pendants hang above the dark stone counter with original octagonal window grilles running across the back wall
PH5 pendants hang above the dark stone counter with original octagonal window grilles running across the back wall
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His design process begins with listening. Before a single sketch is drawn, Ooi works to understand a client’s habits, memories, and what he calls “unspoken needs.” Concepts follow by hand, then material curation, then real-life tests of light and texture, refined through small experiments until the space stops feeling designed and starts feeling right. The studio is a quiet room. Ooi works in it the way he approaches a client brief: patiently, and with little that isn’t necessary.
See also: Indonesian architect Andra Matin and the art of noticing things
Above A wall-mounted shelving system in the studio holds a mix of design books, objects, and a ceramic table lamp
Above The meeting room, seen through the doorway with a timber desk and chrome tubular cantilever chairs
A wall-mounted shelving system in the studio holds a mix of design books, objects, and a ceramic table lamp
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Above The kitchen retains its original octagonal metal window grille, along with custom cabinetry in cream and walnut, a grey stone countertop, and dark square wall tiles
Above A walnut bookshelf holds design references and material samples alongside two metal filing cabinets
The kitchen retains its original octagonal metal window grille, along with custom cabinetry in cream and walnut, a grey stone countertop, and dark square wall tiles
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Ooi cites the late French designer Christian Liaigre, Kelly Wearstler, and Chinese designer Sun Chienya, three practitioners he reads as sharing quiet confidence, close attentiveness to materials, and work that does not date quickly.
For the future, Ooi is not particularly interested in rapid growth. Strange Wu Studio, he says, should expand slowly and selectively, deepening its work across Penang and Southeast Asia without chasing scale for its own sake.
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
