20-Year-Old Terrace Revamped With an Indoor Courtyard Centrepiece

The terrace is now a minimalist haven for the homeowners and their four pets.

This Selangor terrace may appear to be like any other cookie-cutter units in its neighbourhood, but once inside, you'll be captivated by the tranquil interior and view of the unique inner courtyard.

According to the owner, Chan Ern Loy, converting the inner courtyard into a staircase was a "bold" decision" that turned out to be the house’s statement piece. We spoke with Chan about his experience working with an interior designer to renovate his abode, which took around 4 months to complete.

Qanvast (Q): Hi Chan, tell us about yourself and your family.

Chan (C): Hi, I’m a doctor, while my partner, Teh, is a vet. We have two cats named Fei Zai and Mei Mei, as well as two dogs named Didi and Milo.

We love travelling in our spare time. Aside from that, we also enjoy spending time at the gym. We have a part-time skincare business and occasionally host regular gatherings or skincare workshops at our home.

We used to live in a condominium in USJ 1, but after renting a landed home for two years during the pandemic, we realised how convenient it is to live in a landed house, particularly the ample space it provides for our pets to play around in. This prompted us to purchase this sub-sale unit in USJ Tanamera. It is a 2.5-storey split-level terrace measuring around 2300 sqft. It originally had 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, but we demolished one of the bedrooms to create a larger open space (more on that later!).

Q: Did you hire an interior designer to renovate your home?

C: Yes, we hired Wuuu Studio to assist us in renovating the home before we moved in. We learned about the firm from my partner’s colleague, who referred us to the interior designer.

Although the property is 20 years old, it is still in good condition. It is surrounded by a charming garden with 18-year-old landscaping, and the total renovation cost is around RM350,000.

Q: Tell us about your home design, and where did you get your inspiration from?

C: I have been watching the Design Seed YouTube channel, and I’ve always loved the idea of minimalism, non-conventional design and having lots of greenery within the house. The designer, Dom, proposed a wabi-sabi design style. It is a Japanese design philosophy that embraces the beauty of imperfection, transience, and nature. We loved the concept and gave him full trust in the creative process.

Q: What kind of renovation work is required to achieve this look?

C: Originally, the house had a vintage facade, an enclosed kitchen, and rooms that were cramped and dark. As you walk through the middle part of the house, you’ll notice an open-air courtyard that connects several rooms, with a corridor that runs beside it.

We knocked down many walls on the ground and lower ground floors to open up the entire space. We also removed one of the ground-floor bedrooms (near the entry) and converted it into a dining hall. This is where we would usually host large gatherings, dinners, and workshops.

The dining hall

The dining hall features homogeneous tiles that resemble cement for the floors, dark-coloured laminates for the cabinets, Japanese-crafted wall tiles, and exposed brick walls to add a little vivacity to the monochromatic colour palette. The designer also incorporated hidden doors that lead to the toilet and storeroom. They are flush against the grey walls to give the area a continuous appearance. Aside from that, the designer also installed a sliding door that separates the dining hall from the courtyard.

The courtyard

Many of our discussions revolve around reconfiguring the courtyard. We wanted to fully utilise this space instead of leaving it empty. Furthermore, the courtyard does not look aesthetically pleasing when viewed from the lower ground level (kitchen) due to the split-level layout. As a solution, we decided to incorporate a concrete staircase to connect the upper and lower ground levels. The designer created cantilever staircase steps with variations in length and shape, giving the space a bold and sleek look.

As the courtyard receives plenty of natural light, we planted a tree and a tall plant to add a dose of nature to our indoor space. The glass roof allows plenty of natural light into our home, while protecting it from rain.

The kitchen-living-lounge area

The lower ground floor was transformed into a kitchen-living-lounge area. It’s a very cosy space, and we enjoy spending most of our time here, having breakfast, snacking, or entertaining friends/family when we have them over. Our pets love lounging in this area too! The lounge area features grey floor tiles, exposed columns and brick walls, which give the space an industrial flair.

The dry kitchen, on the other hand, has a more minimalist appearance, with grey counters, a black subway tile backsplash, dark-coloured laminates for the upper kitchen cabinets, and wood-tone cabinets for the lower cabinets. We don’t have a wet kitchen because we seldom do heavy cooking.

Q: Did you incorporate any special features for your pets?

C: Yes, of course! We made the front porch and backyard comfortable for our dogs. They usually come here to relax during the day, so we put fans and wooden blinds to keep them cool. At night, they will be sitting in the backyard, enjoying the nice park view.

For our cats, we redo the glass door in our backyard and install a cat's door so they may come and go as they like. The glass door also provides a great view of the park, where they enjoy bird watching every day. And of course, multiple staircases provide plenty of running room for the cats!

Q: Did you renovate the upper two-and-a-half levels of the house?

C: We did minimal touch-ups on the upper two half levels of the house and largely decorated the space with furnishings that the designer helped to source for us. The only major wetwork we did was turn the original master bathroom into an open-concept shower with only a mirror and plants separating it from the courtyard. The feeling of showering here is similar to that of being in a tropical resort!

I also like how the designer renovated my walk-in wardrobe, which is next to the bathroom. He incorporated Balinese design components for the wardrobe, such as wood and rattan, which complement the original parquet flooring and give this space a resort-like ambience.

Q: Did you have any issues with your newly renovated home when you moved in? If so, how were they resolved?

C: During the first month of living here, there was a heavy storm and rain poured down the courtyard due to insufficient sealing of the skylight that covered the roof. Fortunately, everything was resolved immediately once we alerted the designer, and it never happened again.

Q: Are you pleased with the outcome of your home renovation? Is there anything else you'd like to change or improve in the future?

C: We’re happy with the renovation, and we’re pleased that all of our friends and visitors love our home whenever we host social occasions. I only wish I had installed additional power outlets in the dining space as I didn’t foresee the need for these during the renovation process. And the hidden door design in the dining hall can be further improved as well!

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