10 eclectic Malaysian homes full of character and art

The whole design process was made all the more smooth by the fact that it was led by Rix Wong of Plateau Design Studio. Rix is a close collaborator, a long-time friend, and practically a part of the family.

While the initial direction was a colonial style, in the end, they went with a warm eclecticism while being functional and congruent to the lush tropical atmosphere of the surroundings. The most eye-catching of these different ideas has to be the ‘Good Time Patio’ which, with its bright pastels and California vibe, pays homage to CH’s favourite artist, David Hockney

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The home of IDr Joe Chan, founder and principal of the award-winning firm DesignTone Interior Practice in Shah Alam, is an ode to his love for natural beauty and wabi-sabi.

Inspired by the Australian verandah home, the relaxed family home is surrounded by lush greenery.

On the ground floor, the living-dining-kitchen-patio-garden appears as a singular space with its functions and spatial qualities changing throughout the day to suit the family of three's daily rituals.

The house accepts and celebrates imperfections as well as a sense of impermanence with the interior finishes of cement, plywood, natural wood, and vintage and aged pieces passed down from generation.

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The holiday home of gallerist Lim Wei-Ling and her husband, Yohan Rajan, in the heart of Penang’s UNESCO Heritage Zone, is an eclectic combination of heritage and modernity.

Restoring the pre-war shophouse was completed with minimum fuss and kept relatively simple to serve as a blank canvas for the couple’s extensive collection of furniture, object d’art and contemporary art.

Furniture comprises classic and modern pieces, including family heirlooms, antique items sourced from Penang and a carpet collection amassed over the years.

The artwork reads like a who’s who of the local and regional contemporary art scene, including works by Chong Kim Chiew, Shia Yih Ying, FX Harsono and Irfan Hendrian. Some pieces were previously in storage as they were too large for their Kuala Lumpur home and are now showcased here, including a pair of multi-panel Sean Lean pieces and fine art photographer Diana Lui’s large scale black-and-white series called The Feminine Beyond.

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The home of acclaimed Lithuanian-born photographer Paulius Staniunas of All is Amazing fame, his wife and a new baby, this apartment in Bangsar may be compact but has plenty of personality to spare.

Since the space is a rental, the couple did not make many structural changes but decorated it with items which resonated with them, like vintage wooden furniture and customising pieces with natural materials.

Staniunas' eye for design is apparent, from mid-century classics like the Louis Poulsen PH 2/1 table lamp to a carved Chinese panel, not to mention the artworks collected from the couple's friends, who are fellow creatives.

The balcony, with an expansive view of the city skyline, is crowded with plants the photographer has collected even before the pandemic. Today, the area is a microcosm of the forest reserve adjacent to the apartment building.

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Nicknamed Introverse, this home in a suburban township developed and built in the 1970s belongs to architect Chun Hooi Tan, director of Core Design Workshop and his wife, an art gallerist. 

The renovated home challenges social norms by organising the space in an introverted manner, focusing on inner gardens and semi-outdoor spaces. 

Architecture takes precedence in redefining the garden, with a full-height linear garden wall and a separate inner garden that mirrors ancient Chinese or Japanese zen gardens.

The house embodies minimalism in its spatial organisation, material selections, and architectural solutions, allowing the owners to be honest with themselves and define their own lives.

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For this young professional, home is a distillation of her love for boho chic aesthetics and vibrant colours. In order to execute this vision with refinement, she turned to Moxie, an award-winning interior design studio based in Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur, 

By coincidence, the apartment was also located in Southbrooks Residence, a new neighbourhood in Desa Park City, which helped in work flow.

Bohemian themes, like rattan, arched forms, and vibrant colours, were used extensively, to reflect the homeowner’s personality and her favourite aspects of her home.

Cabinetry works consisted of a spray-painted finish with a mix of rattan. The surfaces were kept matte for a cleaner effect, while customised wall-covering was used in the master bathroom to infuse an effortless chic to the space.

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Exuberance and relaxed functionality define this loveable and livable 1,900 sq ft Kuala Lumpur apartment belonging to Dinesh Rao and James Koh, filled with colourful and quirky details.

The renovation focused on maximising air, light, and movement, resulting in raised ceilings, an opened-up lanai, and a flood of natural light that enhances the greenery and colours in the apartment.

Dinesh and Koh’s approach to mixing and matching is evident in their choice of furnishings and art. Modern plastic dining chairs from Kartell sit near a classic mid-century Eames lounger; darker wooden pieces inherited from the previous owner serve as a contrast to paler-toned items such as the Eero Saarinen-inspired marble table from Tabula Rasa and the light-gray Olta sofa from Tekni.

A wide range of contemporary Malaysian artwork has found its way here: from Rafiee Ghani’s playful riot of colours and Raimi Sani’s intimate portrayal of a sleeping girl to Nizar Kamal Ariffin’s abstract tessellations and Ronnie Mohamad’s charcoal portrait of his son. The mix is made more eclectic by adding pieces with a more international provenance, including prints from London and Eastern Europe.

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Gibert & Tan joined the cohort of architects pushing the boundaries of the ubiquitous terrace house with the transformation of a 1970s Kuala Lumpur terrace while retaining its original charm.

The architects upcycled selected aspects and reinstated vernacular passive cooling methods to ensure optimum comfort in the single-storey terrace.

The layout was reconfigured to create a bright and spacious open-plan interior, with partition walls removed and the central yard reinstated.

Southeast Asian vernacular passive cooling techniques were incorporated, including a central yard that functions as a light well, ventilation shaft, and connector between spaces.

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Designed by Choo Gim Wah Architect on a sloping site in Janda Baik with a spectacular view, Canvas Hill Residence gets its name by combining its painter owner’s medium and the inclined site. 

The house comprises a courtyard framed by two pavilions inspired by the traditional Chinese courtyard residence, with an infinity pool enclosing the fourth side. Accessed by a moon gate entrance, the larger of the pavilions is the three-storey main dwelling-cum-art-space, while the smaller pavilion is reserved for guests.

Materials were kept rustic with raw finishes. Local hardwood was favoured for this, with Chengal for the decking and integrating vertical strips of Merbau into the steel columns. All interior fittings were left to the client, an artist himself with a finely tuned affinity for beauty and arrangements.

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Designed by Framework Design Studio, this traditional mid-terrace house was completely refurbished to showcase a modern farmhouse concept per the client's request.

The client also wanted plenty of space to fit the furniture, art pieces and knick-knacks they had collected from their travels throughout the years in it.

Since the clients had a lot of colourful artwork and knick-knacks, the designers kept to neutral materials and finishes like mosaic and subway tiles and mostly white-painted walls. The kitchen was reconfigured to accommodate an island and a little nook, which allowed natural light to shine into the kitchen area.

The designers also added an attic space with a balcony that serves as an entertainment cum study area with plenty of room to display their books and knick-knacks.

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