Inside a Shaman's Condo in Mont Kiara That Took 3 Years to Complete

A home thoughtfully designed with plenty of pet-friendly features.

This condo is unlike any other home we’ve toured. For starters, the renovation began during the pandemic and took 3 years to complete after MCO brought the project to a halt.

But while the renovation was on pause, life didn’t stand still. The homeowners – a couple and their daughter – went through some major changes, from an unexpected pregnancy to a career shift. Naturally, their needs and design preferences evolved too, and Dot Works adapted the home to suit their new phase of life.

We sat down with the homeowner, Mr Yaw, to learn more about the renovation and how the home design evolved along the way.

About the family and their home

Mr Yaw: My wife and I have been happily married for over 10 years, and these days, most of our time revolves around our adorable 2 ½ year daughter. We also have 2 rescued cats; one is 9, and the other is 12, so it’s a pretty lively household.

We both used to work in finance, but about 2 ½ years ago, I had a spiritual revelation that led me to make a career change and become a Shaman. We previously lived in Puchong, but since both of our offices are located in Mont Kiara, we decided it would make more sense to live in a home nearby.

That’s how we stumbled upon this condo. Completed in 2015, the 1,900 sqft unit was still unsold by the developer, who was offering it at a discounted price. It has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, which felt like a good fit for our family.

About working with Dot Works

After getting the keys to the condo in 2019, we started looking for the right interior designer. In our previous home, we handled the renovation ourselves, and honestly, it was quite a stressful experience. We had to deal with multiple contractors and, because we didn’t have much renovation experience, we sometimes ended up being pushed into doing things we didn’t really want. In the end, the house didn’t turn out the way we had imagined.

So this time, we decided to work with an interior designer who could understand our vision and oversee the renovation for us. We did quite a bit of research on Qanvast and reached out to around 15 interior design firms. We eventually shortlisted 5, met with 3, and finally decided on Dot Works.

What stood out to us was how well Jake, the founder of Dot Works, understood my vision. Instead of giving us a typical, cookie cutter design, he designed something that felt very personal and reflected who I am as a Shaman.

About the design requirements

When we first started discussing the design with Jake, we weren't planning on having any kids, so making the home child-friendly wasn’t something we considered. What we had planned was to make the house cat-friendly. Back then we had 3 rescued cats and wanted to add plenty of holes and ladders for the cats to jump, climb, and hide around the house.

Practicality wasn’t really our main focus either. We wanted a home that felt peaceful and comforting, especially after a long day at work. I’m drawn to simple designs with clean lines, natural finishes and soft, curvy details, which I felt reflected my spiritual personality.

We didn’t have a clear idea of what the final design should look like, so we relied quite a bit on Jake’s input. Based on what I shared with him, he proposed a wabi sabi-inspired design that embraces natural beauty and imperfections.

The design emphasises the use of natural elements like timber, stone, textured walls and woven elements. The goal is to create spaces that flow gently into one another, with subtle warm light and textures to create the calm and serene atmosphere I wanted.

About the renovation works

One of the significant improvements we made to the home was installing a centralised air-conditioning system, which took up a significant portion of our renovation budget (RM80,000). I’m very particular about details, and having bulky air-conditioning units installed in multiple rooms would have been an eyesore for me.

Hiding the air conditioners from plain sight was quite a labour-intensive process, and it also contributed to why the renovation took longer to complete. It involved building a new piping system and rewiring the house, which took quite some time.

The foyer

Since we value design more than practicality, I’d say the most impractical part of the house is the foyer. Most homeowners would usually add a shoe cabinet to store their shoes, but I didn’t want to clutter the space with cabinets, so we opted for a simple bench.

On another corner of the foyer, we created a small decorative space with white pebbles and decorative rocks. Combined with the grey textured paint on the walls, I really like how the space turned out. It brings out the calm yet expressive, minimal yet warm feeling that I wanted for our home.

The kitchen and dining area

Once you enter the house, you’ll see the kitchen and dining area. The house originally came with a fridge, kitchen island, and cabinets with a glossy finish, so Jake suggested repainting the cabinet doors in a matte finish. This is to give them a textured finish and better align with the wabi sabi design we were going for.

Looking back, our open kitchen might not have been the most practical because whenever we cook, the smoke tends to travel throughout the house. But as busy parents, we rarely use the kitchen. I also find having an island in the middle of the kitchen very aesthetically pleasing.

The dining area was also custom made with our cats in mind. The dining table features openings within its legs that allow the cats to climb through, while the chairs are made with woven materials. We are already prepared to change them in a couple years because we know that our cats love to scratch them.

The living room

In the living room, we didn’t want to install a TV because we wanted to encourage conversations. But now that we have a kid, we might consider adding a TV in the future!

The focal point of the space is the lighting above the living room. As a spiritual person, having an element of light is very important to me. Jake proposed to install a large round light that creates the illusion of soft light shining through in the middle of the living room.

The altar

The masterpiece of the home used to be the living room light, but now it’s the altar. During the earlier design stages, Jake proposed planting a living tree there, but we felt it would be quite impractical as there isn’t enough natural light.

After I received an oracle from God, I wanted to create a dedicated space to meditate. So, we decided to turn the area into an altar that allows me to do so while reflecting my newfound profession.

It’s not your typical traditional altar, where you’d usually have a cabinet. Ours sits on wooden pedestals with white pebbles underneath.

Initially, we had planned to create a little play area for the cats nearby, but they didn’t like the pebbles, so it eventually became a decorative space. But it actually works quite nicely with the rest of wabi sabi design found throughout the home.

The bedroom

Most of the furniture in the bedroom, including the bed, bedside tables and partition, were custom-made by Rattan Art. We really love the quality of their furniture and how it looks in our home.

Another thing I really like about working with Jake is that he understood the assignment. I told him I wanted the walls to have some decoration, but instead of overwhelming the space with too many pieces, he added a single artwork. It also ties in nicely with the wabi sabi design he proposed.

One of the cat-friendly features in our master bedroom is a wooden ladder where they can climb and play. We also added a cat hole so they can enter and leave the room freely.

The study

I really enjoy having my own private time, whether it’s reading, playing games, or doing research. So, during the early design process, I asked Jake to transform one of the rooms into my own man cave/study room.

Jake custom-made a bookcase with holes where our cats could hide and play. But since we now have a small child, we had to close them up for her safety. Now, it’s no longer my man cave because my daughter uses this room to watch YouTube instead.

On challenges encountered

The biggest challenge we faced was the long wait and dealing with delay after delay. And it wasn’t just a few weeks or months, we’re talking about years.

We started looking for an interior designer after getting the keys to the house in 2019 and began planning the renovation in 2020, but the process was halted by MCO. The house was left unfinished until 2022 as there were still many restrictions on on-site renovation works.

Work resumed in full force in 2023, and we moved in soon after. However, we later discovered some issues with the house that required us to move out again while the problems were fixed. We finally moved back in 2024, after our daughter was born. In total, I’d say the whole renovation took around 3 years to complete.

To sum up…

Despite the long wait, I’m very satisfied with the whole renovation. Even after 2 years of living here, I wake up every morning feeling very happy.

We spent roughly RM600,000 on the renovation, although it could have been done for less. But I wanted to pay more attention to the finer details, and I didn’t mind spending on them. Plus, we’re the type of people who enjoy spending time at home and having a life centred around our family, so that’s why we were willing to spend on our home renovation.

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