Seamless design and an abundance of natural light bring positive energy to this modern-style home
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The owners of this Semi-D in Ipoh wanted a bright and cosy modern home for their family of five, but most importantly, the design had to adhere to strict feng shui design principles. After previously engaging with Red Land Design to renovate their first home, they entrusted the design firm once again to renovate their second home.
Interior designer Chris Lau and his team at Red Land assisted them in realising his client’s vision, where every aspect of the space, from its design to its ambience, perfectly matches the client's requirements. We spoke with Chris to learn more about the design process that went into making the couple’s vision a reality which took them four months to complete.
Qanvast: Hi, tell us about your client and the home in which they currently reside.
Chris Lau (CL): This house is owned by a married couple who have two sons and a daughter. The couple owns a ladies' shoe business and previously stayed at Casa Bintang, a luxury condominium in Ipoh. As their family grew, they decided to move to a larger home.
The semi-D is a sub-sale unit (completed in 2020) located in Thompson, Ipoh. It has three floors and a lot size of 5,328 sqft. The ground floor features the living area, dry kitchen, wet kitchen, laundry, a powder room and a maid's room.
The first floor consists of the daughter's room as well as two smaller bedrooms for their two sons. Meanwhile, the master bedroom, guest room, and study area are located on the second floor. A staircase and a lift located next to the living room provide access to all levels
Qanvast: What was the client's renovation request?
CL: During our initial consultation, the owners requested a bright and cosy modern home with a focus on functionality. Above all, the design had to adhere to feng shui design principles and reflect their personality.
Because the couple runs their own business, they don't have much time for leisure, and the majority of their free time is spent caring for their three children. So they wanted a home with a calming feel to it, comfortable and practical enough for the entire family to enjoy.
Based on the clients’ feedback, we renovated the home with a family-friendly design and used softer colours like white, blue and grey.
Q: Tell us about the different renovation works that you have done for this home.
CL: We concentrated our renovation efforts for this project primarily on the ground floor, which included the living room, dining room, dry kitchen, and wet kitchen, as well as the master bedroom on the second floor.
Initially, the ground floor as a whole isn’t well curated. There’s no walking flow in the open plan living room that connects the dining room and dry kitchen and there’s something awkward that interrupts the openness of the space, such as a thicker wall, a door or a lift.
As a solution, we installed a white wooden panel on the ground floor walls to ensure a uniform look and a seamless transition from one room to the next. The wooden panel also helps to conceal the unsightly lift and a door that leads to a storeroom.
When the clients consulted with a feng shui master, he suggested that the ground floor should be well-lit as it ushers in good energy. As a result, we installed a fair bit of ceiling lighting and mood lighting.
The double void located in the dining area also helps to brighten up the room by showering the space with natural light. If and when it gets too bright, the homeowners can easily adjust the amount of natural light entering the house using a motorized curtain rail on the tall window glass which goes up to 23-feet in height.
The kitchen was designed and built with a modernist aesthetic and basic functionality in mind. We installed a full-height solid glass door to create a visually spacious look while preventing cooking fumes from entering the open plan living area.
In contrast to the brightly lit and airy ground floor, we used darker hues in the master bedroom for a more cosy, intimate look - one ideal for resting. The master bedroom's black wooden panels are paired with dark wooden flooring. We added striped lights across the black wooden panels to add dimension to the room. As modernism is emphasised throughout the interior, no downlights were installed on the bedroom ceiling. Instead, we installed a magnetic track light that was flushed into the ceiling level.
The moody dark tones continue in the walk-in wardrobe, which is made of solid plywood with laminate finishes and a clear glass aluminium door with an internal LED strip light. This lets the owners see all of their belongings in full view.
Explore: 8 Ways to Bring Good Vibes to Your Home Using Feng Shui
Qanvast: Were there any last-minute changes made during the renovation process?
CL: During our renovation, the couple met with another feng shui master, who advised us to change the cooking station’s position within the kitchen, as well as some parts of the altar.
The stove/hob was initially located on one side of the U-shaped layout cabinet in the wet kitchen. However, according to feng shui, the cooking station should be placed in the centre of the kitchen. This repositioning caused delays in renovation work because the changes were not communicated until after the carpentry work was completed in the factory.
Aside from that, the initial requirements to incorporate an 'ancestor praying section' on the altar were cancelled and modified because, according to feng shui principles, the family is not permitted to pray for their ancestors while their parents are still alive.
Qanvast: Did you and your team encounter challenges during the renovation process? And how were they resolved?
CL: Getting everything complete for the owners to move in before the Chinese New Year was definitely the most challenging.
Nonetheless, our team worked tirelessly from early morning until night every day, including weekends, to ensure that the project was completed before the Chinese New Year celebration.
The pandemic also caused a delay in the construction work. Due to the closure of the Jabatan Tanah office during MCO, the house owner was unable to transfer the property title to our clients, and the clients’ lawyer advised us not to start a construction project until the official documents were released.
Despite the setbacks and time constraints, my team and I were pleased that we were able to finish the construction work within three months and deliver the keys to our clients two weeks before Chinese New Year.
Qanvast: Any last thoughts to share about the project?
CL: The clients were among the friendliest I'd worked with, and it was a pleasure to work with them. They put their full trust in our workmanship and our decisions on every design idea we proposed (except those that violated feng shui regulations), so I'm pleased with the overall result of this home renovation!
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