By Annie Ooi | Mar 20, 2010
Ample space in a modern ‘desa’
EVER wondered what it is like behind those red-tiled roofs, green-tinted glass windows and sandstone wall cladding so favoured by developers these days?
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View from the dining area towards the front of the house. Numerous glass windows let in the sunlight.
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This semi-detached, corner unit in Desa ParkCity in Kuala Lumpur was priced at RM1.5mil in 2007 and the current market value for a 3-storey terraced/linked house (4+1 bedroom) is from RM2.6mil to RM3.8mil (www.starproperty.my). The family moved here 1½ years ago, from a double-storey terraced house in Bandar Utama due to “security reasons,” according to the mistress of the house.
The gated community does have conscientious security personnel and is nicely laid out with a lot of greenery around. There is even a walkway outside the houses for evening walks.
Homeowner S. Y. Kong, a civil engineer, originally wanted a Zen-like decor, when he embarked on renovation work. “But as time went on, the decor took on a different character when I added other elements as I felt that it was too empty,” he says.
“The main colour theme is black and a very dark brown, forming a contrast with the crystal-white flooring. All the doors are black, and brown is featured prominently.”
The brown is so dark in some areas, as to be indistinguishable from black. The colour scheme slowly lightens to various shades of brown and beige among the soft furnishings.
Black pops up here and there, although not in an obtrusive manner, as in an unlikely a place as the banisters and railings of the staircase which climbs from the ground floor up to the top at the third level.
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The house owner's study; beyond is the added space of a hobby room, which is over the extended wet kitchen.
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GLASS WINDOWS
While this may sound like the house has a “dark” feel to it, on the contrary it is actually full of light. This is because of the internal layout which has the sitting area separated from the dining area by an internal courtyard, a passageway and a koi pond.
Glass windows, instead of solid walls, provide all-round visibility, as well as an avenue for sunlight to stream in. These windows do not have grills and are not curtained, which means that the garden is clearly visible from most parts of the house.
The crystal-white tile floor, which extends all the way from the living room to the dining hall and the two kitchens, the light cream walls and the glass windows certainly evoke this feeling of being in a naturally lit house. Wall mirrors placed strategically add to the effect.
One last aspect of the original Zen-like decor remains - the walls are bare with no paintings. Rather, there are shelves for the owner to place his collectibles to form his own “painting”.
The floor remains uncluttered with no floor lamps or potted plants, and no table lamps could be seen.
Actually, the house spans over three levels. The ground floor has the living room, dining room, two kitchens and storeroom; the second floor accommodates the master bedroom and study, which is for the parents, and the third floor is occupied by their two sons, aged 14 and 16. Walnut flooring is extensive on the upper two floors.
Kong was impressed with this concept of compartmentalisation. “The living and dining areas on the ground floor are well-defined, and my wife, who loves gardening, is very happy with the internal courtyard.”
The sitting room is comfortable enough with a set of light-coloured Lorenzo sofas and dark-coloured table. This theme of light coloured furnishings is apparent throughout the house and ideally suited for the tropical climate.
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L-R:
The garden of the corner semi-detached has ample space for a gazebo.
A black “wave board” wall feature anchors the sitting room.
A water feature running down the side of the house lowers the temperature slightly.
The boys' walk-in wardrobe leads to the attached bathroom.
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WAVE BOARD
A striking wall feature of a black “wave board” anchors the sitting room, and with light brown wooden blinds providing some shade against the glare (sometimes glass can get too much in our brilliant sunshine), and with a low bench against one wall made up of glass windows, one can have a pretty good time here.
The dining area is also kept simple. The dining set features tempered glass as the table-top, and the seats are again in brown. The breakfast counter at the dry kitchen features a couple of interesting bar stools made of acrylic and chrome.
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| The master bedroom lhas a high ceiling to let in more light through glass panels. |
Here, near the stairs, are actually three doors, leading to the storeroom under the staircase, a sizeable room converted into an ironing/work room and the guest bathroom.
“I found that there were too many doors in this area, so I decided to put a magazine rack in front of the door to the storeroom, and camouflaged the bathroom door behind a feature wall. Guests usually have trouble finding the bathroom,” says Kong.
The wet kitchen is located just off the dry kitchen, and is just as nicely done up. The island workspace features a solid surface countertop, and is the favourite venue for afternoon tea during the weekend. A broad strip of crystal-black tile at the side of the wet kitchen provides a mirror-like effect.
FAVOURITE PART
The first floor is Kong’s favourite part of the house, where he usually looks out from the balcony of his study to the garden below where the koi pond is situated. The original built-up area was 378sq m (4,200sq ft), and he has added another 27sq m (300sq ft) for the wet kitchen and on top of it, a hobby room.
The house has a total of “seven plus one” rooms. As for bathrooms, “initially there were seven bathrooms, but as we do not employ a live-in maid and there are only four of us, I decided to break down the walls between the smaller bathrooms to end up with only four bathrooms,” says the homeowner.
Not many homeowners want to be tied down to keeping a big house in tip-top condition. When asked whether this house was too big for the four of them, Kong admitted that he was looking for a double-storey, but the development only came with three-storey houses.
But he has done it up cosily (and he declares himself very comfortable) and with a basketball court in one corner of the big garden, his two boys should have a memorable time growing up in this corner of Kuala Lumpur.
(“Desa” in Malay means “village”.)
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