A Couple Transformed Their Selangor Home with DIY Skills and RM40,000

A home with bold tones and an eclectic design style.

From the outside, Ben and Nani’s home looks like any other cookie-cutter unit in the neighbourhood. However, stepping inside reveals a world of character and charm, reflecting their unique style. The house is a testament to the couple’s love for collecting furniture and decor from all around the world.

What’s even more impressive is that the majority of the renovation was done by the couple themselves, as they have a knack for DIY projects and a talent for crafting. We had the opportunity of touring their home and talking with them about their renovation journey, which was accomplished on a modest budget of only RM40,000.

About the couple

My wife and I have been happily married for over 10 years. I work in the government sector, while she is a litigation secretary at a legal firm.

We share many similar interests, especially our love for music. Together, we formed a band called Caroline Band, where my wife is the lead singer, and I play the bass. Our weekends are often spent performing—currently, we perform at Gloria Jean’s Coffee in Conezion, IOI Resort City. We would also do performances when we’re invited to sing. Just recently we came back from performing at Hard Rock Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

About the property

Located in Semenyih, we purchased this home about a year ago. Before moving here, we lived in a double-story house in Seri Kembangan University Park, which was slightly bigger than our current home. We decided to sell the previous house to reduce our financial commitments and downsize, as it felt too big for just the two of us.

This new home is not only cosier, but it also fits our plan to make it our retirement home because it is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And although we now live further away from Kuala Lumpur and our friends, they frequently pay us a visit and even stay overnight.

This 1,650 sqft subsale property is a double-storey terrace with 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. When we moved in, it was completely empty—the previous owner had owned it for 7 years but never lived in it or rented it out.

About their design choice

We didn’t want to go with the typical modern design you see in most homes these days. We wanted something different and more personal. That’s why for this home, we chose a mixed-culture theme with bold colours like dark green, navy blue, black and red.

A lot of our design inspiration came from our travels. The house reflects a mix of European, Balinese, and Oriental influences, which is why we call it a “mix-culture design”. Whenever we travel, we love picking up unique items that would look great in our home. For instance, the brass knob and handle on our main entrance were purchased during our trip to Bali.

Many of the decor pieces in our home were brought over from our previous house, which was designed with a Moroccan theme. It’s a mix-and-match approach that gives the space a slightly eclectic, lived-in vibe. We love this style because it perfectly reflects our laid-back personalities. You’ll also notice plenty of collectibles we’ve gathered over the years displayed on the walls and shelves throughout the house (more on that later!).

Since we already had a clear vision of how we wanted the house to look, we decided not to hire an interior designer and took on the renovation ourselves.

About the renovation works

The house didn’t have any major defects, except the entire plumbing system, which had to be replaced. We love DIY projects and took on most of the work ourselves, tackling it stage by stage. We painted the entire house, installed wainscoting and board-and-batten panelling, put up shelves, created wall art, and handled countless other details. Since I studied mechanical engineering, I was able to do all of the electrical wiring, which helped us significantly cut down on renovation costs.

My wife also loves crafting and adding personalised touches to our home. For instance, she bought a simple pendant lamp and added tassels to it herself, turning it into a unique statement piece on our staircase.

Most of the furniture in our home was brought over from our previous place. These pieces were sourced from all around the world, each with its own unique charm.

Living room

The living room is our favourite space to relax, sit back, and unwind. As you’ll notice, this area is decorated from floor to ceiling.

My wife drew inspiration from homes she discovered during our travels and decided to install wallpaper on the ceiling, surrounding it with a green tone. It creates a cosy, cocoon-like atmosphere and encourages guests to look up and admire the intricate wallpaper, as well as the brass chandelier that adds a rustic touch to the living room.

Aside from the ceiling, the walls are decorated with a collection of frames, pictures, knobs, and decor we've found during our travels.

To divide the living room from the rest of the home, we placed a console table behind the sofa and added a metal partition inspired by traditional Baba Nyonya homes. We prefer this approach over the conventional glass sliding doors often seen in cookie-cutter homes, as it allows the space to feel open and airy while still maintaining a sense of separation.

Kitchen

The kitchen is my wife’s favourite place in this house. She loves spending time in the kitchen because cooking is one of her passions. We used to run a café in Cyberjaya, but unfortunately, we had to close it down during the pandemic when it became too difficult to keep the business afloat.

These days, she often takes small orders from her friends, and her speciality is butter chilli clams served with fried mantou buns. Although our current kitchen is smaller than our previous one, limiting the number of orders she can take, she still enjoys fulfilling requests from friends. We also love hosting gatherings, where my wife cooks up her delicious dishes for our guests to enjoy.

With limited space, we couldn't create a separate wet and dry kitchen, so we made the most of what we had. We installed a dark green cabinet to complement the overall theme of our home and added an island in the centre. To define the kitchen area, we tiled the floor and added a black and gold backsplash that pairs well with the kitchen counter. Next to the kitchen, there’s a white barn door leading to our pantry. We installed it ourselves, giving the space a bit of farmhouse touch.

Store room turned into a dining area

Originally, the house had 4 bedrooms, one of which was located on the ground floor. Since it was a small room, we decided to knock down the walls and transform it into our dining area. To demarcate the kitchen and dining room without making the space feel cramped, we installed a nyatoh wooden beam to define these spaces.

The dining table is a piece of our previous home, and we’ve enhanced the space by painting the walls in an olive green, adding mirrors, sconces, and displaying my wife’s ceramic plates. We also installed shelves on the walls to showcase my wife’s dinnerware collection, which she has gathered over the years.

Tall ceilings turned into an attic

Since it's just the two of us, we decided to transform the three bedrooms on the upper floor into a laundry room, a music room, and our master bedroom. The upper floor also features tall ceilings, so we took advantage of that space and turned it into an attic.

We have a teenage son who is currently staying with his grandparents. We plan to turn the attic into his room when he comes over. Right now, the attic is still a work in progress and serves as a storage area where I keep all my collectibles.

Man cave - entertainment area

We dedicated a small space below our attic as an entertainment room. This has become my favourite spot in the house where my wife and I can Netflix and chill. To make it even more convenient, we added a fridge and keep our snacks here, so we don’t have to keep running up and down the stairs.

It’s like a man cave for me where I can display all my collectibles. I have a particular fondness for superhero characters, especially Star Wars memorabilia. Some of my collection is still tucked away in the attic, waiting to be displayed.

Master bedroom

Unlike the other rooms, we chose a dark blue tone mixed with ash grey for our master bedroom. To enhance the ambiance, we installed a wooden board-and-batten panelling pelmet box for the curtains, a feature often seen in European hotels. Above the bedframe, we installed wallpaper as a focal point, and hung pendant lights in the centre, giving the room a bit of Victorian feel. To complete the look, we hung frames and mirrors on the walls, filling the space with more character.

Our en suite bathroom features a safari theme, highlighted by an animal print wallpaper we sourced from Finland. It brings a whimsical vibe to the space, especially when paired with blue walls, small chandeliers, decor, and small potted plants.

Music room

The music room is where our band crew gathers to practice. To keep the sound contained and ensure our neighbours aren’t disturbed, we installed soundproof walls that absorb the noise so that our neighbours won’t complain about the loud noise coming from our house.

The music room is painted in a bold black and pink combination, with a custom-ordered Pink Floyd poster that sets the rock vibe for the space. Meanwhile, the black chandelier further adds to the room’s electrifying feel.

This room also comes with an en suite bathroom, which I’ve decorated with wall art, stickers, and framed photos that I’ve collected over the years. I even installed shelves to showcase my collection of figurines.

Challenges faced during the home renovation

Initially, we hired a contractor to renovate our home, but unfortunately, they didn’t meet the promised timeline. The progress was slow, and if we hadn’t been on top of things, the work wouldn’t have moved forward at all. I was also very disappointed with the quality of their work.

Given our busy schedules, we didn’t have the time for daily site visits, so when we set a three-month deadline to move into our new home, we decided to complete the unfinished tasks ourselves. In total we lost around RM10,000 paying for unfinished work.

To sum up

We’re really happy with how the house has turned out so far, as it truly reflects our personalities. Having moved in just a year ago, our home improvement journey is still a work in progress. We’ll continue to slowly enhance the space and find new ways to decorate and make the space feel even more like our own.

Plus, it’s something we genuinely enjoy, and I’d highly recommend it to other homeowners, especially if you have the skills and vision to bring your ideas to life. However, if you’re not sure where to start, strapped for time, or lack the DIY skills, we’d definitely suggest hiring an interior designer instead!

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