A house designed as a retreat for a mother-and-son duo.
In a busy neighbourhood in Ampang, this terrace house is anything but cookie-cutter. Its facade is almost completely camouflaged by lush greenery, with plants of all shapes and sizes spilling across the front of the home.
Step inside, and there’s another unexpected surprise: more than 300 Astro Boy pieces are thoughtfully displayed throughout the house.
Curated by avid collector and Instagram creator Jimmy (@astroboy_jimmy), the collection is just one part of what makes this home so unique and personal. We toured the space and spoke to Jimmy about the home’s transformation, his lifelong love for Astro Boy, and how he has brought his love for plants into the design.
About Jimmy and his home
I’m 42 years old and was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur. I’ve been working in the food industry for more than 20 years. In April 2017, a friend and I co-founded a restaurant called Papasan, which is a pork-free restaurant serving Japanese fusion cuisine. Today, we have several outlets around the Klang Valley, including Kuchai and Cheras.
Previously, my mom and I lived on the ground floor of a five-storey apartment building in Pandan Perdana, Cheras. As our needs changed, we started looking for a landed home in the Ampang area, where we could be close to our relatives.
When I saw this property was up for sale, I was immediately interested. The price was also quite reasonable at around RM600,000, which made it even more appealing. It is a 1,650 sq ft double-storey terrace that comes with 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
What the home looked like before the renovation
About his home’s design
The renovation was handled by my architect cousin, who runs a KL-based construction company called Pembinaan KCT.
I’ve always admired the work of Ng Sek San, especially his approach of blending architecture with nature. Some of his well-known projects include Sekeping Serendah, Sekeping Tenggiri and Kebun Kebun Bangsar. I really love the natural, almost forest-like atmosphere he creates, using materials such as exposed cement, brick and metal, together with lots of greenery.
Source: Sekeping Serendah
I wanted to bring a similar feel into my own home, but my cousin advised that the style might not be practical for long-term living. With so many plants and exposed materials, the space could become quite humid, which may eventually lead to mold and mildew, especially on furniture. So, we gradually modified the concept, taking inspiration from the Sekeping Serendah homestay style but making it more suitable for everyday living.
About the home renovation
Although the house is around 30 years old, it was still in good condition when I purchased it. However, the original layout didn’t quite suit our lifestyle, so we made some major changes, reconfiguring several spaces and extending parts of the house to make it more comfortable and practical for my mom and me.
The transformation is noticeable even from the outside. Originally, there was a steep slope leading down to the house (pictured below), which can be dangerous to walk, especially for elderly people. While some of my neighbours have kept the original slope, I decided to replace it with a proper staircase leading down to the car park for better safety and accessibility.
The home's original facade
The home’s facade post renovation
To make better use of the available space, I also extended parts of the front yard. The additional space was incorporated into the entrance and living room (more on this below).
The entrance
When you first enter the house, you’ll see the staircase to the upper floor right away. Originally, it was located in the middle of the house, but I decided to move it to improve the overall layout of the space.
For the design, I took inspiration from the staircase at APW Bangsar (pictured below). I really liked the minimalist look, especially the fact that there are no handrails. It gives the staircase this floating effect and makes the space feel more open.
Source: APW
In this area, I furnished it with old cabinets I found at rubbish dumps, on Facebook Marketplace, or in second-hand shops. Whenever I’m looking for furniture or decor, I usually go for things with a vintage feel, especially if they’re made from solid wood.
The only modern-looking piece at the entrance is the altar. Usually, you’d see a red altar cabinet in a Chinese home, but I wanted to do something a little different. So instead, I went with a dark green cabinet to give the traditional altar space a more modern look while still keeping its purpose.
The original floor had terrazzo tiles, but I decided to replace them with cement render. To keep a little bit of the old character, I reused some of the small terrazzo pieces and added them into the cement render. I like how it gives the floor a slightly nostalgic feel while looking modern at the same time.
Bedroom
Originally, the house came with six bedrooms, but since there are only two of us living here, I decided to reduce it to just two bedrooms. Both are on the ground floor, which is more convenient, especially for my mom.
I turned my mom’s bedroom into a small studio for her, complete with her own kitchen and dining area. To make this possible, I extended the backyard and converted the space into an indoor area where she can cook, eat, and even hang her laundry. So basically, she has everything she needs on the same floor.
The living room is also right next to her bedroom, so she doesn’t have to go upstairs just to watch TV.
My bedroom is right next to hers, with a shared bathroom separating the two rooms. One unique feature worth highlighting is the metal drawers I use to store all my clothes. They look a bit like the lockers you’d find in gyms. I prefer this type of storage because I don’t have to worry much about mould or the musty smell that can sometimes come with wooden wardrobes.
The upper floor
There were quite a few changes made to the upper floor as well. Originally, there were four rooms and an attic up here, which made the whole space feel quite cramped and low. I decided to remove the attic as well as the room walls, and added a few skylights to the roof. That made a huge difference to how the space feels.
Now, the entire upper floor is one big open space. It feels much brighter and more spacious, especially with the higher ceiling and all the natural light coming in through the skylights.
Since I had already extended the front and back of the house on the ground floor, I decided to do the same upstairs. At the front, I added a balcony and living area, while the extension at the back became a toilet and wet kitchen.
The dining and kitchen
I’ve always liked repurposing old things, so in the dining area, I decided to reuse the original door grille that came with the house as a piece of wall art to fill up the empty wall. I like that it also gives the space a little bit of character.
Since cooking is my profession, I decided to have a separate kitchen for myself on the upper floor. This way, my mom and I can each cook in our own space and avoid having any arguments!
Plus, I often come home late from work, so my mom would usually cook meals for herself. Having her own kitchen and everything she needs on the same floor makes things much more convenient for her.
About his Astro Boy collection
The entire upper floor is basically dedicated to my Astro Boy collection. I started collecting Astro Boy items when I was 18. I remember it quite well because that was also when I bought my first car, a Perodua Myvi. I wanted something small and unique to put on the dashboard, and I thought Astro Boy figures were really cute, so I bought one for my car. After that, one thing led to another and the collection just kept growing!
To date, I have around 300 to 400 Astro Boy items, including figurines, artwork, watches, wallets and even socks, just to name a few. Some were things I bought myself, while others were gifts from friends and family. I’ve also picked up quite a few pieces online or during my travels, especially when friends recommend something to me.
One of the most memorable stories came from my trip to Tokyo, Japan, the birthplace of Astro Boy. I remember seeing Astro Boy wall art around their MRT stations, and there used to be a mosaic of the character at Shibuya Bridge. Unfortunately, the mosaic has since been taken down, but I took a photo of it during my trip.
I later sent the photo to a Taobao seller and had them custom-make a replica of the art using mosaic tiles. Now, it is displayed on the entrance wall of my house, so it’s one of the first Astro Boy pieces you’ll see when you come in.
I would say the most expensive pieces in my collection are the Bearbrick sets. There are currently six versions, and I’ve managed to get three of them, with each set costing around RM6,000.
But my favourite Astro Boy piece isn’t necessarily the most expensive one. It’s actually a vintage tin toy that comes with a little screw where you wind it up and Astro Boy will actually move and walk. I found it from another local collector and was lucky enough to get it at a pretty affordable price.
For now, I’m just collecting these pieces because I enjoy them. But maybe when I retire, I might consider selling the collection to help fund my retirement. If I ever do sell it, I’d probably prefer to let the whole collection go as a set rather than selling the pieces individually.
About his plant collection
I actually started getting into plants during MCO, when everyone was stuck at home. I started with philodendrons and monsteras; they piqued my interest when I saw them selling at high prices during COVID. Some of these rare plants could fetch up to RM10,000.
I remember buying a tiny plant called philodendron billietiae 'variegata' that is probably only about the size of a 50-cent coin, for RM500. I bought one thinking I could try growing it myself, but unfortunately, it died. That was basically how I started learning; by making mistakes, asking friends for advice and watching YouTube videos to figure out how to take care of them properly.
Once I got more comfortable with philodendrons and monsteras, I slowly moved on to platycerium, and eventually started getting into cactus cortex.
I used to buy plants quite often. Sometimes I would buy them through live-selling platforms, where they would sell plants in bulk at a very affordable price of 100 pieces for RM300. I would buy them and see if I could find any rare ones out of the 100 pieces. Usually, there would be a few that were worth much more than the actual price.
But for the past six months, I’ve stopped buying new plants. In fact, I’m slowly trying to reduce my collection because I’ve realised that I have too many to maintain. That said, I still love having plants around the house. They make the whole place feel cooler and more refreshing. At night, we hardly need to turn on the air conditioning because the house can actually get quite cold.
To sum up
The whole renovation took about a year to complete, and in total, I spent around RM450,000 on the house. This included redoing the electrical and plumbing, installing the gate and CCTV, extending the house, and replacing the roof. The only thing that remained from the original house was the main structure.
I’m really happy with how everything turned out. I find myself spending a lot more time at home now, and my favourite spot has to be the balcony. I especially enjoy sitting there in the morning because it’s really relaxing. There’s no direct sunlight hitting the house, so the balcony stays nice and cool in the morning and evening.
And, of course, I finally have enough room to display my Astro Boy collection. When I was living in an 800-sq-ft apartment, it was getting too cramped for me and all my collections. But ironically, just one year after moving here, I stopped buying new Astro Boy items because I realised I was already running out of space to display them!
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