By Annie Ooi | Photographs by Raja Faizal Hishan | Nov 4, 2009

New Age Living

WHEN senior executive Shahrul Azlan Shariman was house-hunting two years ago, he came upon a rather run-down property in Petaling Jaya’s Section 14 neighbourhood and thought it had potential.

Note the slopping roof, from front to back. Two 'bushido' trees (right), update the exterior.

Shahrul, 34, who is the chief officer of the Private and Institutional Asset Management department of Prudential Fund Management Berhad, was then living in a linked-house in Ara Damansara together with his wife, Sharifah Muhairah, and three daughters, aged four to seven. Since acquiring the double- storey detached house, he and his wife have pooled their creative resources to turn it into their dream home complete with a swimming pool with an Arsenal football club motif!

“I managed to get it for a good price at RM800,000 as the house was quite rundown,” says Shahrul. To him, spending RM600,000 on renovation was worth it, as he likes the neighbourhood.

“I have kept the original structure but have modernised the design by adding glass panels, white marble flooring and lots of wood. It is in a matured area, quiet and with facilities just five to 10 minutes away by car. Shops, 7-Eleven store, petrol station, school and a supermarket are just minutes away,” he adds.

Many of his neighbours are retirees, which makes the neighbourhood all the more quiet. There are some younger people living here, such as his sister’s family in another bungalow behind his house.

The couple are inspired by the Australian show houses during their yearly vacation there.

Real bargain
“It was a real bargain, as it was in bad shape,” recalls Shahrul, of his purchase two years ago. “I had to re-do the wiring and the piping, extend the side and the front, and all this and more were completed in about six months, credit must go to my contractor.”

The front part of the house, with glass panels (which are lit up at night with blue lights), enclosing the balcony outside the master bedroom.

Since then, Shahrul and his family have been staying here for about one and a half years. The land area of 504sq m (5,600sq ft) and built-up space of 387sq m (4,300sq ft) are ideal for a growing family. With a garden in front as well as at the side, the outdoor area provides ample space for the girls to play.

The car porch, before it was renovated, was much deeper, but now just fits two cars side by side. “I have enclosed a section of it and constructed a guest room downstairs. Although we have less space for the cars now, it is quite sufficient,” says Shahrul, as he shows me the guest room.

From the exterior, the house sports a contemporary design with white-washed walls and green-tinted glass. A feature wall of black stone enlivens the overall design. Heavy, wooden double-doors lead to an open-plan interior concept, and as the house was built on a slight incline, the visitor sees three levels, leading up to the highest tier, the audio-visual room.

“I love the open concept where there aren’t many walls,” says the house owner, as he gestures towards the folding glassdoors trimmed with aluminium. The doors stand in for the conventional solid wall at the side of the house. Sitting in the living area and the dining area, one can have the pleasure of viewing the garden on the other side of the glass.

The couple share a passion for interior design and architecture, and with each having his and her own ideas, compromises were made. They have settled for a modern, contemporary look with off-white walls, with minimal furniture. The “clean” look is brightened by touches of vibrant colour with scatter cushions and a daybed.

Art collectors
The living area is at the lowest level of the house. An extension was added here with the “anjung” or verandah enclosed, on a platform. Hanging unobtrusively in a corner is an abstract painting by well-known local artist Datuk Sharifah Fatimah Zubir. This work is just one of the couple’s many paintings, as they are avid art collectors.

The creative interior and design of the house.

A couple of levels above is the dining area, which is also furnished with minimal fuss, having only a Chinese style sideboard and a jute rug under the dining table. Overlooking the dining area, is yet another abstract work from Sharifah Fatimah.

The open concept continues to this area with a staircase leading up to the bedroom above, on the first floor. Looking up from the dining area offers an interesting view of a walkway leading to the master bedroom. This functions like an indoor balcony outside the master bedroom overlooking the ground floor.

Arsenal fan
The house has a cosy feel about it, as each living space is easily accessible from another. Coming down to the ground floor again, just outside the dining area is the pool, which the house owner always wanted. But closer to his heart is what lies at the bottom of the pool.

The usual mosaic design at the bottom of a pool would probably be dolphins and other marine motifs, but this hard-core Arsenal football club fan has no qualms about showing his loyalty. He went online to search for someone who can fashion the club emblem, and embedded it to the bottom of his pool.

Left: Arsenal jerseys are framed up for greater impact in the AV room. Right: The multi-level ground floor is bright, with lots of light from the floor-to-ceiling windows at the side

“I found a mosaic specialist, but the cost was too high, as it was in euros. A second search found a Taiwanese source, which quoted his price in Ringgit. So this 1.8m by 1.8m (6ft by 6ft) emblem cost me RM6,000, using Taiwanese technology and the expertise of local workers,” he explains, citing that the exact colour of each mosaic had to be chosen carefully.

His friends, who are supporters of other famous British football clubs, have sworn not to jump into the pool! Just next to the pool is his latest project, a formal dining room that is in an annexe.

“It was completed just six months ago and again, I have used a lot of glass and a sandstone feature to add interest,” says the house owner. A dining table and leather chairs complete the setting.

An ambience of airiness pervades this house. Located at a corner, it stands out from its neighbours with its contemporary design. But a telephone pole just outside the house, complete with messy, dangling wires reminds us that the neighbourhood is an old, established area. But with housebuyers like Shahrul around, there is hope yet for old houses, waiting to be brought into the 21st Century. E-mail the writer (annieo@thestar.com.my) if you know of interesting homes to feature.