La Costa, Selangor

The brief set out for this project was to create a boutique themed interior, seeing that the property is in an upcoming part of the town with universities, malls & hospitals in the vicinity to attract young professionals for rental purpose. The first reaction would probably be the surprise that the client is someone who was ready to relatively splurge and fully furnish a rental unit. The norm for property owners in KL & Malaysia over the years has always been to spend minimally to avoid major maintenance cost in the future and thinking that potential renters “will always have their own stuff to bring in anyway”. For us, making a house or any residential unit look good and desirable has always been good business. Rental yield percentage increases (as asking price for rental can be above the market rate) & the refurbishment cost can also be recovered when the unit is sold, if that is in the long term plan. Also, the desirability of a turn-key residential unit means it would not stay in the open market for long, taking into account potential lost of income due to vacant unit. So you can say that designing & refurbishing a unit makes good business sense and not just to be enjoyed by designers or design savvy enthusiasts. The design aims to create a mature and neutral color palette which is also specific to future tenants and blend in with their belongings. Due to cost constraints, fixed cabinets also needed to be minimalist in style but maximise in terms of usage, function & practicality. The furnitures are also custom made & upholstered to compliment the interior and function of the spaces. Carefully selected artworks also aims to add depth to the timber cladded interior.