Home tour: inside a minimalist home renovation in Malaysia designed around four dogs

The neighbours at her previous residence had found the barking difficult to tolerate. She began looking for landed property where her dogs could move freely. When she found this house, with its 2,330-square-foot plot, she bought it. Line2Pixels came recommended through a mutual friend who was also the property agent handling the sale of her condominium.

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“From our very first meeting at the house, she gave off a very clear and confident vibe,” says Pui Wee Chong, co-founder of the Kuala Lumpur-based interior design practice. “She knew what she wanted, which made it easy for us to understand her lifestyle and aspirations for the home.”

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The renovation that followed was substantial. Internal walls on the ground floor were partially removed to open the layout and improve circulation between the main living areas. Though the house was structurally in reasonable condition, the design team reworked enough of the interior to constitute an extensive renovation, one completed in four months, under considerable pressure. By the time the client received her keys, her former condominium had already been sold, and the handover date had been set.

“Despite the pressure, the tight schedule did not force us to compromise on quality,” Chong says. “We were still able to incorporate thoughtful detailing into the built-in elements.”

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At their first meeting, the client brought reference images that made her preferences clear: minimalism, but underpinned by high-quality materials and careful detailing rather than surface decoration. This became the designer’s guiding concept.

Stone anchors much of the interior. Chong specified two quartzite varieties, both sourced through Stonedeart. The first, Taj Mahal quartzite, runs through the dry kitchen and master bedroom. It is a warm, cream-toned stone with soft veining. When the client identified it as her preference, Chong contacted Stonedeart’s founder, who noted that high-grade Taj Mahal is inconsistently available. He was overseas sourcing materials at the time and came across a suitable batch, which he arranged to bring in.

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The client took time to consider the cost before committing, though once the stone was installed, she was happy with the decision.

“She often shares that it was one of the best investments she made in the home,” Chong says, “as the stone brings a sense of warmth and positivity to her daily living experience.”

The second stone, Palladium Sage quartzite, also from Stonedeart, appears on the TV cabinet feature wall and the dining table top. It carries faint green and pink undertones through its surface, adding depth to the room without competing with the other materials.

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For cabinetry surfaces, the team chose wood-textured high-pressure laminate over natural veneer, a practical decision given that several dogs now move through the house daily. Laminate handles scratches better. In the wet kitchen, where the client cooks regularly, sintered stone handles the countertop.

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The furniture mix reflects the collaboration between designer and client. Nicchris supplied a number of the larger pieces, including the console table at the entrance, paired with a Stonedeart stone top, the coffee table, the dining table base, and the bedroom side tables. A sofa from Ambient Living anchors the living area, while the bed frame in the master bedroom is from King Living. Dining chairs, decorative objects, and lighting were sourced by the client from Taobao, as was a console in the dining area that the carpentry team later refinished in a custom colour to better suit the interior palette.

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Most of the decorative objects scattered through the rooms belong to the client personally, as does one piece of artwork that holds a detail not immediately visible to visitors: the paw prints of her dogs, pressed into the surface.

The garden was designed with Sputnik Forest, a landscaping studio whose naturalistic planting style suited the overall direction of the home. Even though the studio was in high demand at the time, the client was persistent and eventually brought them on board.

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Chong singles out the entrance as her favourite part of the house. “When we step through the main entrance and immediately overlook the indoor courtyard, the space creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere,” she says.

Sputnik Forest handled the courtyard planting, and the homeowner keeps the interiors feeling fresh by regularly bringing in loose plants, placing them in different corners and swapping them out over time. Shortly after the renovation was completed, she adopted a fourth rescue dog, bringing the household to its current count. The garden, by now well established, has room for all of them.

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