By Annie Ooi | Apr 7, 2010
Rustic view in an urban setting
"I have stayed in this three-bedroom apartment in Taman Sri Sentosa for 21 years and will remain put as we (with husband Pillay Soh Chin), can’t find a view of a river from a kitchen window elsewhere," says Retna Pillay, an interior decorator.
Her wet kitchen looks out to a grassy area, which is fenced up. Beyond, is the tree-lined bank of the Klang River, which looks rustic enough with exposed rocks at the banks. It is quite a view of Mother Nature, without the artificiality of a manicured landscape.
"When my son moved out of his double-storey Kelana Jaya home, he asked us to take it over, but because of this view and as both my children have left home, I didn’t take up his offer," says Retna.
The 84sq m (930sq ft) flat in Pinang 1C apartments was purchased for RM77,000, (similar units advertised online are priced at RM95,000). It has been renovated to suit the couple’s lifestyle. "Since there are now only two of us, I have removed one bedroom and used half of the extra space created, to expand my master bedroom and the other half for the living area," she says.
The small apartment now has an open plan concept as the wall between the dry kitchen and the dining area has been removed, and a breakfast counter put in its place. The wall between the dry and wet kitchen has also been removed, allowing for easy access between the two areas.
The wall facing the dining table is mirrored and a supporting column in the middle of the apartment, which cannot be removed, has also been covered in mirrors. "You’ll find a lot of mirrors here and I used them to make the area look bigger," says Retna, of a decorating technique commonly used by homeowners.
Retna has been in the interior design business for 11 years, but her interest was apparent even when she was a child, moving things around in her parents’ house when she felt that it was not quite right. Now, her projects keep her busy and even if they don’t, she has more than ample opportunities to try out her ideas in her own home and keep occupied.
Bored easily
"I get bored easily, and I change things around every two months, keeping different sets of varying themes and colours for the bedroom and the sitting area. I even paint the walls a different colour every one or two years," she says.
"I love the comforter sets for the beds, and I have matching curtains and carpets. The theme can be black and silver, floral or leopard prints. The cushion covers for the sofa in the sitting area are in pastel and animal prints for the moment, although I do have them in multiple colours including in Thai silk to create that multi-colour Mediterranean look."
Her apartment is on the first floor of a five-floor walk-up block, with four units on her floor. The open communal space between the four front doors is also done up by her, in a style that resembles a decorated balcony with a couple of rattan chairs, figurines, bird cages and hanging pots of plants. The families on this floor get along, with all chipping in to tile up this previously concrete space and once a month, getting together to clean it up.
Her main door opens to a small foyer with a model of a ship placed on a side table, facing inwards. From this angle, the visitor can see the whole "communal space" of the living and dining areas, which glimmer with mobiles and chandeliers.
Two comfortable "lazy boy" armchairs and a cream-coloured sofa make up the living room set. Her favourite place is a corner of the sofa near the balcony door and from this vantage point, she can see her hanging pots of petunia.
A window used to be next to the audio-visual console side of the living area, but she has since expanded it to create a "Buddha" niche and reading corner.
Retna’s style is a potpourri of decorative elements from different races, "as my family is a ‘rojak’ of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Caucasian." Her Hindu prayer area is set within a closet, which can be closed after praying.
Handyman
She is also quite the handyman around the house, and she points out her handiwork on the breakfast counter, which is covered in mosaic tiles. "I did it myself, and tried to tile the splash-back in the wet kitchen, but that was not so successful," she admits.
Although the maintenance of her apartment block by the management is less than satisfactory, "the exterior walls have not been painted in 21 years," and visitors wonder why she chooses to continue to stay here, they are pleasantly surprised when they step through her front door.
For Retna and her husband, the locality is ideal as all the amenities for a comfortable life are within walking distance. As for her, she is content, as long as she has a roof over her head, and the space to decorate as she pleases. She can be contacted at 012-379 0071 or retna311@yahoo.com
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