Cover The living room in full, with the entrance garden to the left and the glass-walled sunken courtyard to the right
The living room in full, with the entrance garden to the left and the glass-walled sunken courtyard to the right
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Pivot Studio transformed a decade-old, never-occupied residence, organised entirely around a glass-roofed courtyard that channels light, air and greenery through every floor
Since it was purchased, the house had sat empty for ten years. Its new owners never moved in, and the four-storey residence at a gated enclave in Kuala Lumpur remained in a kind of suspension until Pivot Studio took it on. “We approached it almost like a new build,” says Hor Sue Ann, the studio’s founder. “The entire interior was reworked to suit contemporary living better.”
At 6,154 square feet spread across four levels, with a basement that, unusually, connects to the neighbouring units below, the home occupies a narrow footprint that concentrates its area vertically rather than outward. That compression, combined with an underground connection to adjacent homes, gave the site an ambiguous character. “There was an interesting duality to it,” says Hor. “It carried the spatial qualities of a landed home, yet also the interconnected feel of a high-end condominium. That contrast became something we were keen to explore.”
The living room, with the travertine and walnut TV wall, a slatted timber media unit, and full-height glazing opening onto the entrance garden beyond
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Above The resident dog poses in front of the glass-walled courtyard in the living room, with the polygonal stone wall and courtyard tree visible behind
Above A detail of the living room’s travertine TV wall with walnut panel above, a slatted timber media cabinet below, and a large ceramic urn planted with an areca palm
The resident dog poses in front of the glass-walled courtyard in the living room, with the polygonal stone wall and courtyard tree visible behind
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The most significant intervention was the introduction of a sunken ground-floor courtyard covered by a glass roof. The living and dining areas open directly towards it; the upper floors, lined with full-height glazing and operable balconies, look down into it. Light moves through the glass roof across the day, landing differently on stone and timber at each level. “Layered thresholds and semi-open connections allow the home to cool passively,” Hor explains, “while shifting light across textured stone surfaces brings a quiet, ever-evolving quality to the space.”
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Looking down from an upper level into the sunken courtyard, with the living room visible through the glass wall beyond
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A main garden at the entrance handles the ground floor threshold, large enough for entertaining and sufficiently planted to read as a proper outdoor room. Further inside, the dry kitchen incorporates an indoor patio with greenery, a deliberate continuity that runs throughout the plan, ensuring no part of the house feels entirely separate from the outside. The layout is concentric, organised around the courtyard, which orients movement through the home without any explicit hierarchy of rooms. After dark, uplighting in the courtyard draws out surfaces that daylight had made to recede.
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The dining area opens directly onto the sunken courtyard via sliding timber-framed doors
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The material palette is limited by design. Natural oak, walnut, brass, and woven wallpaper run through the built-in joinery, providing warmth in a house that receives considerable natural light. “We were intentional in selecting materials that feel honest and enduring,” says Hor. “Natural, raw finishes with inherent character that will age gracefully over time, allowing the space to remain timeless rather than trend-driven.” The joinery detailing is precise without being decorative for its own sake. Chamfered edges, brass inlays, and brass handles hold the rooms together, while the woven wallpaper introduces texture and references Asian craft traditions without announcing the fact.
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Above The dry kitchen seen from the dining area, with dark walnut cabinetry, brass inlay, a mirrored splashback and the marble-topped island
Above A full-height walnut pantry cabinet with brass inlay and brass handles, adjacent to the dry kitchen counter
The dry kitchen seen from the dining area, with dark walnut cabinetry, brass inlay, a mirrored splashback and the marble-topped island
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Above A detail of the dry kitchen counter with a brass tap, mirrored splashback, under-shelf lighting, and a blue-and-white tea service on the open shelf above
Above The dry kitchen island, with a rounded marble top and dark walnut cabinetry detail
A detail of the dry kitchen counter with a brass tap, mirrored splashback, under-shelf lighting, and a blue-and-white tea service on the open shelf above
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The master suite takes up the entire top floor. Separated from the activity below by the intervening levels, it functions as a distinct zone within the larger house rather than simply another room at the top of a staircase.
Most of the furniture, lighting, and art came with the clients, gathered over the years abroad and during their travels. Pivot Studio sourced additional pieces locally to sit alongside the existing collection. The two bodies of objects coexist without an obvious seam.
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The master bedroom, with a woven wallpaper headboard panel recessed into a curved oak surround, flanked by brass swing-arm sconces
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Above The oak inlaid with brass wardrobe adorns the built-in cabinets in the master dressing room
Above The master suite dressing room, with a built-in vanity nook, a pink velvet stool with brass base, and a white lacquered drawer island set within walnut joinery
The oak inlaid with brass wardrobe adorns the built-in cabinets in the master dressing room
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The practical difficulties were of the kind common to existing structures: low soffits in certain areas required careful spatial planning, porous staining on existing materials needed to be treated, and the accumulated irregularities of a decade-old build had to be resolved before the interior could be finished cleanly. “As with many existing homes, there were numerous odd terminations that needed to be resolved thoughtfully,” Hor notes.
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A guest bedroom with full-height glazing overlooking the tree canopy, with a teal upholstered headboard set against integrated oak bedside joinery
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The clients are still introducing furniture and art at their own pace. “My favourite part,” says Hor, “is how warm and private the home feels. Natural light floods the interiors, while pockets of indoor greenery bring a sense of calm and life.” For a house that went unoccupied for ten years, it has acquired domesticity relatively quickly.
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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.
