By Willy Wilson | Jul 8, 2010
Actress Dynas Mokhtar’s modern three-storey mansion
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| Beautiful gals: Dynas Mokhtar with beloved baby girl, Khyra Khalissa |
Dynas Mokhtar may have been a successful actress with memorable performances and prestigious awards under her belt, but the 29-year-old beauty reckons her new role as a mother is her biggest accomplishment.
Having been absent from the show business since last December, Mokhtar, whose claim to fame was through her convincing performance as black-magic-practicing Cinda in Susuk, admits that she has no plans to get back to work anytime soon.
The young mother explains that raising her 2-month-old baby girl, Khyra Khalissa, is her priority. It isn’t hard to see how she enjoys her role as a mother as the actress burst into joy every time she talks about baby Khyra.
“I haven’t been working for the past six months because I was determined to welcome the baby to a new home,” says Mokthar, adding that she has instead concentrated on dolling up her brand new house in Bandar Sri Damansara.
“I dealt with a contractor and ran around town to buy lamps, furniture, carpet and everything else while heavily pregnant,” she says with a chuckle. The communication graduate from UiTM Shah Alam confesses that it wasn’t easy to renovate without the help of an interior designer, but maintains that she learnt valuable lessons throughout the process.
“My husband dealt with the house layout, while I was in charge of the home décor and design,” Mokthar explains. StarProperty.my chatted with the yummy mummy at her three-storey mansion.
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| Uncluttered and bright: Dynas enjoys decorating her house during pastime |
How has your life changed, now that you are a mother?
I have become more meticulous and detail-oriented in general. When it comes to the baby, I am constantly worried. I can’t help it! I suppose my maternal instinct just burst out now that I’m a mother [laughs].
Has it been a big transformation from being a career woman to a full-time mother?
It has definitely been a big transformation as I have been working right after I completed SPM. But being a mother is my biggest accomplishment. I enjoy every bit of my life as a mother. When not busy with the baby, I take time to decorate the house.
What is the concept of the house?
The design concept is simplicity. My husband and I wanted a modern house that is uncluttered and bright. Therefore, all the renovation works were concentrated toward achieving that look.
What were the challenges during renovation?
Creating a seamless flow within vertical space was the main challenge. This is a three-storey house that sits on a 153 sqm (1,646sq ft) piece of land, which means that the house is vertically spacious. Dividing space on functional basis was the solution.
How did you divide the space based on functional basis?
We decided that the first floor and half of the second floor would be the common area. The first floor consists of a garden, living room, dining and kitchen. The second floor has a large TV room, complete with a balcony, where our friends would come and watch football matches! Meanwhile, the entire third floor is our private area.
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| One of Mokhtar's favourite spaces, the kitchen. |
In terms of home décor and design, how did you strategise to keep your house uncluttered and bright?
The colour scheme is black and white. A dash of bright colours like blue and red is kept to a minimum. Such a colour arrangement, combined with modern furniture pieces, brings about a modern ambience to the whole house.
Having done the renovation work without professional help from an interior designer, what lessons you have learnt?
Without the help of interior designers, you have to deal with the contractor yourself. And dealing with contractors can be tricky, as most people do not have the technical knowledge of renovation. We changed contractors twice before we finally found the one that we felt comfortable working with.
Throughout the renovation process, we learnt that the price and quality of material is key when dealing with contractors, as some contractors would not provide you with such information.
For example, I asked my contractor to use solid surface for my kitchen cabinet, breakfast top and the island, without prior knowledge about the cost and the quality. I had a shock when he quoted the price, but I couldn’t blame him because he just followed my instructions. Later on I found out that solid surface is an expensive material despite being prone to scratches. I decided to use tiles instead, which is cheaper and more durable.
Lastly, where is your favourite corner of the house?
I love my kitchen and bedroom!
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