Cover On the front elevation of the semi-detached house, the arch frames a large arch-shaped glass panel above the entrance
On the front elevation of the semi-detached house, the arch frames a large arch-shaped glass panel above the entrance
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The Chemistry Design Studio renovated a 50-year-old semi-detached house in SS2 for a young family, adding red brick, a terracotta arch and a double-volume living room
When the owners of a semi-detached house in SS2, Petaling Jaya, first showed it to The Chemistry Design Studio, it had gone some 50 years without a major renovation. The ceiling slabs were low, cross beams cut through the rooms at head height, and the interior was, by the studio’s account, basic and dated.
“Although it was an older property with many existing limitations, we immediately saw its potential,” said CX Soon, the studio’s founder and chief designer. The owners, a couple in their 30s, have a one-year-old son, and Soon saw a chance to “give it a new identity, and create a home that better reflects the young family’s lifestyle.”
With extension works, the house now measures about 3,100 sq ft. The renovation went well past the surfaces, reconsidering how the rooms connect and how much light reaches them.
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Above The renovated house, seen from the corner, with red brick screens set into the boundary wall and upper façade
The renovated house, seen from the corner, with red brick screens set into the boundary wall and upper façade
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Above In the living room, a Hay coffee table and a leather sling chair face a low fluted console in wood-look laminate
Above Pendant lights hang in the double-volume stairwell, in front of the arch-shaped glass panel set into the terracotta façade
In the living room, a Hay coffee table and a leather sling chair face a low fluted console in wood-look laminate
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From the street, the change first appears in red brick used in selected areas of the exterior, and in an arched entrance finished in terracotta that projects forward from the rest of the façade. Soon chose the brick because “it gives the façade a warm and slightly tropical character that feels suitable for a Malaysian home.”
The top of the arch is glazed with a large fixed panel in the same shape, which lets daylight into a double-volume living space behind it. During the day, the room needs little artificial lighting. Indoors, the arch reappears in gentler form, in curves and architectural details that carry the language of the façade inside.
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The open-plan ground floor holds the dining area and kitchen island, with full-height storage along one wall
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The foyer rises the full two storeys. Over the course of the day, light from its large windows moves across the curved staircase and casts soft shadows on it. The studio painted the surrounding walls in pale, neutral tones and left them largely bare. “We kept the surrounding walls in soft, neutral tones so that the staircase, architectural curves and natural light could become the main focus rather than introducing too many decorative elements,” Soon said.
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Above From the dining table, the staircase is visible beyond a wall of built-in shelving
Above The dry kitchen has a pale tiled wall, a single open shelf and a stainless steel worktop
From the dining table, the staircase is visible beyond a wall of built-in shelving
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Above A door with an arched reeded-glass panel slides open between the dry and wet kitchens
Above A natural wood stool by the studio sits at the sintered stone island, near the arched reeded-glass door to the kitchen
A door with an arched reeded-glass panel slides open between the dry and wet kitchens
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Creating one continuous ground floor meant taking out a structural column that had divided the living area. Working with the structural team, the studio added new reinforcement, cross beams and columns in other positions to carry the first-floor slab. The living and dining areas, the kitchen island and the dry kitchen now share one space, and it is this part of the house the owners say they like most. With a toddler at home, being able to see across from the kitchen to the living room is a practical advantage.
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Above An arched opening frames the wet kitchen, where open shelving flanks the cooker hood
Above The wet kitchen pairs a stainless steel countertop with green ceramic tiles laid vertically
An arched opening frames the wet kitchen, where open shelving flanks the cooker hood
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Because the house was about 50 years old, the team had to assess the condition of its original structure, slabs, and beams before construction could begin, which extended the process. Soon considered the delay worthwhile, since “it was important for us to resolve these issues properly to achieve a better final result.”
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Above Reeded-glass sliding doors open onto a reading corner with built-in shelving and a round wall feature
Above A Verner Panton table lamp stands on the built-in desk in the study, which faces the street
Reeded-glass sliding doors open onto a reading corner with built-in shelving and a round wall feature
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Above Where the timber door frame meets the ceiling, the plaster curves into a soft vault
Above Sliding doors in wood-look laminate and reeded glass line an upstairs corridor, where the abstract painting Sunset, by CX Soon, rests on a stool
Where the timber door frame meets the ceiling, the plaster curves into a soft vault
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The owners asked for earthy brown and green, and the studio applied both colours in several ways, in paint, ceramic tiles and accent surfaces, instead of assigning each to one material. Wood-look laminates run through every room, tying them together. Against them sit sintered stone, floor tiles and stainless steel, the last used for the countertops in both the dry and wet kitchens. Soon said the combination “feels cohesive even though different materials and textures are used throughout the home.”
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Above In the bedroom, an upholstered bed with a rounded headboard sits against a laminate panel fitted with reading lights, beneath a curved ceiling edge
Above The dressing area pairs arched hanging space with a built-in desk and a reeded-glass window
In the bedroom, an upholstered bed with a rounded headboard sits against a laminate panel fitted with reading lights, beneath a curved ceiling edge
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Above A freestanding wardrobe divides the bedroom; its arched niches are backed with reeded glass
A freestanding wardrobe divides the bedroom; its arched niches are backed with reeded glass
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Some decorative objects, table lamps, and the coffee table come from Hay and a Verner Panton table lamp stands in the study. Stools in natural Semangkuk wood sit at the kitchen island, designed by the studio and made by a local woodworking artisan. On one wall hangs an abstract painting, Sunset, which Soon painted for the house as a personal gift to the owners.
Asked whether anything about the project fell short, Soon said the studio was satisfied with the result. What mattered was the distance between the house the owners bought and the one they now live in: “It was rewarding to see how much the original house was transformed while still maintaining a comfortable and practical home for the family.”
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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.
