A home fit for the Malaysian weather

andrewjburing andrewjburing
Studio Apartment, Ink Architecture Ink Architecture Modern living room
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With a little tweaking, it's possible to fit almost any architectural style into any environment. While this may seem silly, a different styles evoke different feelings in people, and it's important to give them the proper means of expressing themselves. However, sometimes, you'll bump into a style that is both perfect for you, and your home country, creating a symbiosis that is hard to deny.

And it is exactly one of these houses that we'll be looking at today. Thanks to its rich, tropical design that manages to blend most modern home sensibilities with the outdoor flavour of the Malaysian culture, this house excels at giving the owners, and anybody else who would be interested in the design, the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds.

Below, you will find a whole host of different bits and bobs that really make this home part of the overall culture. And those of you that are worried that this style would take away from any modern comforts, then do not fear. It is fully equipped to suit all your needs, and serves as a great guide for finding the balance between the two. So to discover just how the architects did it, all you need to do is read on.

The right exterior

Even at dusk, it's easy to tell why this whole exterior is perfect for the surrounding environment. The dominant white colour helps give off a very relaxed feel, and manages to enhance the sunlight as it bounces off the white and spreads all around the terrace. Also, the textured feel of the white paint gives it an authentic tropical look, making it come off as something than completely different.

The rest of the exterior brings the colour, and is even enhanced by all the white. The chairs especially manage to evoke a great feel, as the shade of blue brilliantly matches the 'by the sea' feel the house is going for. The front door has a little covered path that leads up to it, which will come in handy during monsoon season. Finally, this house knows exactly what it's doing in terms of windows, as it makes them as large as possible, taking in all the light that the Sun has to give. Mixing ease with elegance may seem difficult, but this house makes it look very simple.

Bright living

Continuing the primarily white theme, the living room adopts a similar colour scheme as the colour takes advantage of all the natural light that pours in. It also works as a means of highlighting the other shades. Just like with the outside, anything that differs from the standard white gets a boost. In this room, this concerns the table, pillows and carpet.

However, colour isn't the only thing these things bring to the table. While the colour scheme is mostly blank, the items make up for it with incredibly interesting patterns, capturing the cultural feel of Malaysia. Patterns and swirls are an incredibly popular design choice, so it's nice to see that it can be represented even in such a predominantly white room. 

It's great to see two styles, the modern and the tropical, work so well here, and it really highlights why this place is so great.

Easy cooking

Sharing a space with the living room, the kitchen area follows the same colour pattern, yet manages to make it its own. This is mainly achieved thanks to the marble counter, which sections off the kitchen from the living room and gives the space a unique texture. Also, thanks to the swivel chairs, this space becomes a great spot to hang out, and enjoy the company of others. While cooking, it's always nice to have someone to talk to, especially if it makes the work go by faster.

And speaking of cooking, this area is fully equipped with all the things you would expect of a modern kitchen, allowing you to go from more basic dishes to something a bit more traditional, with a cultural past, in the blink of an eye. As a way of highlighting the space in which you can work, the counter adopts a strip of dark paint, that clearly signals that this spot is different then the others.

When two rooms occupy the same space, it may sometimes be difficult to split them apart. However, with the help of the counter, and some colour choices, you can easliy have multiple rooms in one space, without having to sacrifice the overall theme.

Sleeping on a bed of flowers

Peaking into the bedroom, you can immediately see how it manages to play around with the set style, while still keeping the overall relaxed feel of the home. Just like the kitchen, it does this by changing up the colour scheme, therefore giving it it's own feel, and drawing attention to certain factors of the room. This time, it is trying to draw attention to the picture above the bed. It's always nice to have cherished memories and loved ones around, and placing them in one of the most private rooms makes complete sense.

As a way of complimenting the change in colour, the bed pulls out all the stops, giving us a great mixture of pattern and colour. While it doesn't go for the oriental swirls, the flower pattern is really welcoming, and maintains the relaxed feel of the space. Keeping this feeling going are the light blue pillows, that conjure up the image of sea, enhancing the tropical feel.

As an added bonus, the room also does great things with doors. Instead of going for the traditional wood or plastic, the entrances into the bedroom go for sliding doors. This gives the place an oriental feel, and means that there is more room to take advantage of. The door leading to the outdoors is also different, as it goes for a more natrual, wicker feel.

Outdoor washing

With all the nice weather that you get in Malaysia, it's a pity not to take advantage of it more often. While swimming pools are a great example of this, an outdoor bathroom has the same effect, if only slightly more intimate. Adapting to the outdoor feel, this bathroom uses more earthy, brown tones, perfectly matching up with the world just beyond the wall.

In order not to disrupt these natural tones, the walk-in shower uses glass panels to prevent leakage and even uses a wood floor for added effect, creating a pleasant sensation for your feet. The raised sink is a modern design choice, but fits in well with the surrounding space. To top it all off, the various plants bring a bit of green to all that brown, and really make this bathroom a one-of-a-kind space.

If you're looking for the perfect Malaysian home, but found this space lacking in some aspects, then maybe this home will be more to your liking.

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