This Home Proves There’s No Such Thing As Too Much Rattan

Designing a space that's both family-friendly and aesthetically pleasing can be extremely challenging. However, just because a home is made for a family doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on style, a point proven by this charming 2,200 square foot abode in Terengganu owned by a family of five.

The homeowners, Wan Norshuhada and Mohd Azamin put together this house on their own, without the help of an interior designer. Taking inspiration from Scandinavian and Muji interior design styles, they created a warm and welcoming home that is authentic to their personal style, their family's lifestyle and their budget.

About herself and her family

Adda (A): Hi, I’m Adda! I am a mother of 3 kids. I work as an engineer and my husband works in the offshore field.

We live in a 2,200 square feet double-storey semi-D house in Kuala Terengganu. We bought this house in early 2017 and we moved in in early 2018 after I was transferred to a new office located close by. This is the first home that my husband and I purchased together, and it features 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

About the home’s concept

Adda: As we have 3 children who are 10, 8 and 3, we wanted to create a home that’s practical, minimalist, using light colour palettes and most importantly, within our budget.

On changes made to the home

Adda: Our kitchen used to be laid out in an elongated shape, and that made it feel really cramped. Due to limited space, we had to dine in the living room for almost two years before we decided to renovate it.

We’re fortunate enough to own a spacious 800 square feet garden and backyard so we decided to expand our kitchen and turn our backyard into a formal dining room and a laundry area. And instead of using concrete walls, we installed glass windows to allow natural light to enter the space and make the room feel spacious.

The kitchen expansion has greatly improved our lifestyle as our family now has a proper space to dine comfortably. It has also improved the home’s practicality as the dining area is located next to the kitchen. I also wanted to retain the Malay dining style in our house where we usually have meals in the kitchen area, or a specific area dedicated to dining.

Our renovation works also included the entrance. We replaced the original door with a single-panel security door and a large glass window to shower the living room with more natural light. Doing so helped to maximize the living room’s square footage and improve the overall layout of the space.

About challenges faced

Adda: The biggest challenge for us was designing the dining area and laundry area around a septic tank located in our backyard. We had to “scale down” the square footage expansion and levelled the laundry area’s floor a few inches lower to allow for ease of septic tank maintenance in the future.

Her favourite part of the home

Adda: My favourite area in my house is the balcony, which is located outside our master bedroom. I decorated the space with some indoor plants, a rattan chair and a hammock, and it instantly became a relaxing lounge area for me and my family.

About her home’s décor

Adda: I decorated my house according to my personal taste and suitability of the area, taking hints from the Scandinavian and Muji interior style as well. And since rattan is a “trending” design element at the moment, I incorporated plenty of rattan furniture and home decor (that you can purchase via @LimitedHome) in my home design.

About Limited Home

Adda: Limited Home is my small and part-time online business that sells local rattan products made by local artisans around Terengganu. It started when I purchased a few rattan products at a local shop in Terengganu for my house and caught a lot of my Instagram followers’ interest.

On top of that, many local rattan retailers were severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and were unable to sell their products as they did before the pandemic. So, in 2020, I decided to set up the @LimitedHome Instagram account dedicated to selling their rattan products. My goal is to promote and help boost local artisans’ overall sales as well as to help them to continue the heritage of their craft.

A lot of buyers love rattan but they don’t know how to incorporate them into their home designs. Through my @LimitedHome photos, I provide customers with valuable tips and ideas on how to style and bring the beauty of these natural materials into their home space.

Tips on how to decorate a home without overspending

Adda: In my opinion, the best way to decorate a home without going over budget is to first decide a theme or design style (i.e. Scandinavian, Contemporary-chic, Eclectic) for your home, so that you will only buy items according to the theme instead of buying random things and thinking of a theme later!

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