By Willy Wilson | Aug 25, 2009

High End Look For Under RM50K

Photography: Andy Kho | Hairstyling: Faevien Lee (A Cut Above) | Make-up: MAC | Wardrobe: Raoul for Women

Chartered accountant turned actress Chermaine Poo talks about her new apartment, property investment and how to achieve that high-end condominium look without breaking one’s budget.

As a chartered accountant, model, host, actress & film producer – Chermaine Poo wears many hats. With a recent purchase of a 1,550 sq ft apartment unit at Suasana Sentral Loft, she has officially added to her resume a property investment title.

The stunning beauty recently invited StarProperty to her new apartment which also functions as her office.

“I just finished decorating the unit yesterday. So I guess this makes StarProperty my very first guest!” says Chermaine when we confirmed our appointment for this interview.

“I’m eager to share my first-hand experience when it comes to refurbishing an apartment. My goal here was to achieve a high-end look, under the budget of RM50,000. I have so much to tell you,” she says enthusiastically.

Location, Location and Location!
Chermaine Poo does not portray your stereotypical fame-and-famous bunch. Having earned a degree in accounting, she’s definitely familiar with matters of finance.

“When it comes to property investment, location is my main consideration,” she says.

“It is not about prestige,” she says, “But it is about the value of your asset.” This explains her decision of purchasing her new two-plus-one-bedroom apartment located right next to KL Sentral.

“This location is as good as it gets when it comes to KL,” she says.

She could very well be right; with the ambitious RM2.14billion project by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd and Pelaburan Hartanah Bhd scheduled to be completed by 2012, KL Sentral is set to become the new hub for the capital with three office towers, a retail mall and a boutique hotel. The mega project is already 10 percent underway.

“You must know the potential of the area before forking out the money to invest in a property. You must do your research,” Chermaine insists.

High-end Look, Low-end Budget

“I am a homebody type of person, so having a space that makes me feel comfortable is vital,” she says.

Chermaine claims that hiring an interior designer was not really an option, as she did not allocate any part of her budget for it. Chermaine’s main consideration, however, concerned the quality of the products. She was absolutely determined to achieve a high-end look within a budget of RM50,000.

“Just like many other people, I knew absolutely nothing about interior design,” she claims, “But I kept myself up to speed by talking to people from the shops and to the contractor I hired.”

The overall look of her apartment is clean and simple, with a few embellishments and tiny bursts of bright colours. The soft finishing, Chermaine claims, was intentional.

“Soft finishing allows you to easily redecorate anytime,” she continues, “This kind of knowledge can be acquired simply by spending more time with people from a home-related industry background.”

Continue Your Reading: More About High End Look For Under RM50K »

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