Cover The approach to Twinkle Villa, our most popular Malaysian home tour (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

From Penang to Pahang, we round up 5 of the most popular home tour articles this year

In a year of lockdowns with extremely limited travel opportunities, Tatler Homes had the privilege of virtually traversing the country. We were invited into homes of all sizes and ambitions, and enjoyed experiencing a diverse range of designs and styles. 

To cap off 2021, we take a look back at the five of Tatler's most popular home tours.   

1. An award-winning retreat in Pahang

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Above The natural appearance of the fair-faced concrete and bare clay brick walls match the palette of the forest outside (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Designed by CY Chan Architect, this retreat in Janda Baik, Pahang, won on the best building and a Gold award at the Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia Awards in 2017. Praised for “conversing eloquently with the idyllic forest and responding climatically to the setting”, the unique building was described as being “hard on the external appearance, it transforms and opens up dramatically towards the woodlands while unravelling the charming and delightful ambience of a retreat within.” 

Tatler Asia
Above The front facade is an unapologetically solid building form of fair-faced concrete wall (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

The client's brief to the architect was to build a peaceful retirement home and to leave the site as intact as possible. To this end, Twinkle Villa is a unique form featuring a  solid raw concrete wall rising dramatically on one side and carefully arranged spaces which embrace the surroundings on the other side.

Don't miss: 5 Industrial Chic Homes in Malaysia

2. An Ipoh home built by an architect for his parents

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Above The dramatic central spiral staircase (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Designed by Kenny Chong of A3 Projects for his parents in Ipoh, the project became not only a labour of love but also an expression of his architectural ethos. After some years in the UK, Chong returned to Malaysia after his mother’s recovery from a severe stroke and was inspired to design ‘the most perfect house’ for them.

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Above The "barn" roofline (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Thoughtfully planned, the home is a series of interlocking courtyards with a roof top garden and barn-like roof which makes the most of the scenic views of the mountains.

Don't miss: 5 Fabulous Family-Friendly Homes In Asia

3. A terrace house in Kuala Lumpur transformed into a tropical oasis

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Above A view of the pool from the dining and open kitchen (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Designed by ELD Sdn Bhd’s husband-and-wife team, this typical terrace house with multiple split levels in suburban Seputeh was transformed into an inspiring, expansive and light-filled home. To meet the clients’ requests for a resort-style home where the outdoors merged seamlessly with the indoors, the designers took advantage of the corner lot by designing a lap pool and an adjacent semi outdoor pavilion on the additional land. Blurring indoor and outdoor spaces, the pool’s edge was placed at the edge of both sides of the wall with fully collapsible doors.  

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Above A view of the lap pool and semi outdoor pavilion (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

The original split level allows for an infinity pool edge at the end of the lap pool complete with a cascading waterfall, so that visitors are greeted with the resort-like ambience of the sound of flowing water upon entering the house compound. 

Don't miss: 5 Amazing Homes In Asia With Enviable Private Pools

4. A heritage shophouse in Penang converted into a modern loft

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Above The terrace shophouse peculiarly lends itself to modern loft living. Photo: Lin Ho

Located in Love Lane, George Town, this shophouse was transformed by Unit One Design into a chic modern loft-like space which received a PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) Award in the Heritage and Adaptive Reuse category in 2008. Originally the home for an expat family, the designers retained the original facade but inside, the ground floor plan was opened up to create a continuous reception, living, dining and kitchen space.

 

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Above Natural light creates different shadows depending on the time of day (Photo: Lin Ho)

One significant change was inserting tall window with glass louvres on the east facing façade which brings daylight and natural ventilation into the very heart of the house. This was only possible because renovations were done prior to George Town's designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008. 

Don''t miss: 5 Beautiful Shophouse Homes in Singapore and Malaysia

5. A pair of houses in Janda Baik designed to work with hilly terrain

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Above A view of both houses from above (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Amidst the cool hills of Janda Baik , Melvyn Kanny of MJ Kanny Architect built a pair of homes for a couple on two adjoining plots of land (each measuring one acre). One was intended as their holiday cum retirement home while the other was either for investment or for their children’s use. One of the houses was submitted for Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia's (PAM) competition and took home PAM’s Gold Award in the Single Residential Category in 2018.

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Above The roof was a feat of engineering (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

Inspired by the jagged hills and outcrops of Janda Baik, the built form in itself very natural and organic. All the interior spaces had different characteristics and no room had a 90-degree corner. Each space was designed to capture a view of its immediate natural environment and every effort was taken to blur the distinction between inside and out.

Tatler Asia
Above Exposed brick walls were used extensively (Photo: Lawrence Choo)

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