Following in his father’s footsteps, Koh is a trained architect who has continued to add personal touches to this home over the years. The father-son duo have made many changes to modernise the house for daily living while still maintaining the home’s original structure.

Among some of Koh’s more recent efforts to retain the home’s original charm has been to remove the plaster ceiling in the main living room to reveal the underside of the home’s original timber flooring and beams from the private quarters above.

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Heading upstairs into the private quarters, the master bedroom has its own pantry, lounge, and a lovely view of the couple’s garden during the day. The guest bedroom also has its own ensuite, lounge, and a balcony overlooking Jalan Dungun and the front of the house.

To maximise living space, especially during its years as an Airbnb unit, the existing house has been extended into both the front porch and garden. The extended living room and garden can cater to up to 100 guests, with two external bathrooms added to support outdoor functions.

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A big believer in investing in creativity, Koh’s home is a collection of statement pieces and artworks that he has collected during his travels or gotten from local artist friends over the years.

“I actually painted that one myself,” notes Koh, pointing to a picture hanging beside the kitchen entrance. “Yi Ling and I did a lot of art projects at home during COVID.” 

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“Since we try to use the main living area more during the day, we wanted to make it a creative space conducive to our work,” Koh comments further. “It’s also why we chose a lot of acrylic and glass furniture to make the space feel more like a contemporary art gallery.”

For the flooring of this particular space, Koh wanted the floor to match the existing terrazzo flooring from the 1970s, sourcing out a similar pattern that would match while paying homage to the home’s origins.

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The garden itself is a significant feature of the home, stretching from the front of the property, bordered by a trellis of trailing plants to the back, where it opens out to a multi-layered expanse.

This is presided over by an enormous banyan tree, which provides shade from the sweltering heat of Malaysia’s tropical weather. “Something particularly special for me about this place is this tree. When my family first bought this house, my uncle planted it from a seed and watched it grow.”

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To keep the area a lush urban sanctuary, Koh personally maintains the garden, a passion that he has patiently cultivated over the years.

Having created many beautiful memories in this home, which includes his wedding ceremony in 2022 right in his own backyard, Koh hopes that this space will allow him to continue creating opportunities and moments in the years to come.

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