Getting your hands on a HDB maisonette or jumbo flat in Singapore in this day and age is already a luxury in space-constraint Singapore, let alone a landed home. Talk about landed properties and you’ll have to be quite loaded to actually own one in reality. Over at our sisterland across the causeway, though, it’s a different story altogether.
Like how all siblings face endless comparison, one fact that stands out is that Malaysia is almost 500 times bigger than SG. So it’s no wonder that a greater number of people can afford to own landed homes. We’ve sussed out 7 most incredible homes in Malaysia that will make you look outside our little red dot for home inspiration.
Belanda House – Featured in Crazy Rich Asians
Image credit: 29 Design Consultancy
While it has been some time since our favourite rich folks from Crazy Rich Asians have dazzled us, their extravagant homes are most certainly here to stay. Granted that they already have a home in Cluny Park, there’s obviously more than one in the lot – enter Belanda House.
Image credit: 29 Design Consultancy
Situated on a 34-degree slope in a forest near Kuala Lumpur, this behemoth is clearly an ambitious project on its own. Separating the storeys into 3 pavilions, the first one being entirely flat on street level, half of the second built on stilts, and the last balanced entirely on pilotis.
Image credit: 29 Design Consultancy
As featured in the movie where the ladies adjourn for teatime, the lowest poolside deck has a direct view hovering the forest into the city, which you soak in while dipping into the infinity pool.
Image credit: 29 Design Consultancy
Concrete Jungle House – Modern industrial style with slide and climbing area
Image credit: N O T Architecture
The “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” doesn’t just refer to NYC, but it’s a note to this Concrete Jungle House in Kuala Lumpur.
Image credit: N O T Architecture
Renovated to house a multi-generational family, the young owners have carved out a spacious area indoors for their kids’ playtime, while maintaining other nooks for leisure and family time.
Image credit: N O T Architecture
Like what you’ll commonly see in hipster cafes, the house thrives with its industrial style, where the walls, ceilings and flooring are done up with the distinctive cement screed look.
Image credit: N O T Architecture
That said, it still throws in vintage flavours, balancing the edgy to make the home look altogether cosy.
Image credit: N O T Architecture
By separating the pitched roof into 2 storeys, sunlight can enter the dining and living areas, as opposed to using a conventional courtyard layout which will take up otherwise usable space.
You can even slide down the stairs instead.
Image credit: N O T Architecture
The Planter Box House – “Stacked box” design with trees
Image credit: Formzero
It’s one thing to have your own home garden to exercise your green fingers, but that’s nothing compared to living in one, case in point, the Planter Box House.
The boxes are made from split bamboo produced by the indigenous Temuans.
Image credit: Formzero
Much like living in the kampung where you grow your own produce, the owners of this tropical paradise have more than 40 types of edible plants in their day-to-day menu. Grown in concrete boxes lining the exterior, they also serve as mini irrigation reservoirs to retain stormwater.
Image credit: Formzero
Designed with high ceilings, natural light can pierce through into the living area, creating a strong sense of openness.
Image credit: Ameen Deen
Image credit: Ameen Deen
Villa Nadiah – Jungle glasshouse near Genting Highlands
Image credit: Villa Nadiah Janda Baik
Glasshouses breathe a very ethereal vibe to the space, and that’s what you’ll get atop the hills of Janda Baik at Villa Nadiah.
Image credit: Villa Nadiah Janda Baik
Named after the owner, this 43,000sqft home is an old warehouse that was refurbished into a contemporary tropical villa facing Lentang Forest Mountain, where 2 wings are connected with a central courtyard in between.
Image credit: Villa Nadiah Janda Baik
The more private dwelling of the two, the Kamar wing is where the owner spends time with her friends and family. Meaning “bedroom” in Indonesia, this wing holds 5 bedrooms, 2 living halls and 1 kitchen.
Image credit: Villa Nadiah Janda Baik
Being enveloped by lush nature, the home was designed to facilitate cross ventilation across the entire compound while blocking out heat from warming up the inside.
Lee Residence – Muar bungalow with beautiful natural marbling
Image credit: atap
Talk about adding a little boujee into your space and you’ll know that marble can do the trick. Within the historical town of Muar, you’ll find Lee Residence, a multi-generational home which uses marble to breathe luxury and elegance throughout the house.
Image credit: atap
For inspiration, the designers, S/LAB 10, visited several marble quarries across Malaysia, then returned to the studio to 3D render various designs.
Image credit: atap
At the kitchen stands the island tabletop, where 48 pieces of marble were individually hand-cut and laid over each other. As part of the designers’ mission to remain sensitive to details, several modes were made to ensure the curvature of the tabletop flows naturally.
Image credit: atap
With 14,000sqft of space to play around with, this home ingeniously integrates indoors and outdoors, where the owners have termed it as “breathing space”.
Image credit: atap
Other than marble, the designers also turned to natural materials such as timber, granite and natural wood. The natural veneer juxtaposed with the marble creates a calming relationship outside and within the patio.
Black-on-Black House – Sustainable home with resort vibes
Image credit: One Earth Office
Basic as some may think, it can safely be said that we will never be bored of all-black aesthetics. Do it well like this resort-inspired Black-on-Black house and you’ll get a tranquil abode to live in.
Image credit: One Earth Office
While painting a home all-black may seem unusual due to the tropical climate, architectural firm One Earth were able to execute it by staying true to their sustainable
practices.
Image credit: One Earth Office
Torched recycled louvre panels were used to welcome natural light into the home, such that you need not switch on extra lights during the daytime.
Image credit: One Earth Office
Recycled pinewood is lined along the interior walls, giving a rough and au naturale finish to the home.
Image credit: One Earth Office
In the courtyard, you’ll find leopard trees which not only provide shade, but are built upon soil which absorbs rainwater. Moreover, the courtyard facilitates stacked ventilation, altogether cooling the house while greatly saving on electricity costs.
Image credit: One Earth Office
The Bewboc House – Unique & bold facade
Image credit: Fabian Tan
From the front, a part of Bewboc House may remind you of a quaint chapel in the countryside, albeit in soft brutalist fashion.
Image credit: Fabian Tan
Situated in Kuala Lumpur, this suburban terrace house celebrates its natural materiality, where the owners wanted minimal renovation. The result is a facade that is simple, yet bold.
Image credit: Fabian Tan
The study area directly overlooks the living area into the nature outside; it then leads to what is termed the “original” part of the home, which houses the bedrooms and kitchen.
Image credit: Fabian Tan
Most incredible homes in Malaysia
To escape from the busyness of life in Singapore, many of us can attest that a trip to Malaysia serves as good respite, where you can eat and play non-stop for a third of the price. But for less than a third, you can get these incredible homes, many of which are more extravagant than back home given its expansive land.
Perhaps on your next road trip down the causeway, you can recce these beautiful landed homes and – who knows, one of them could even be yours down the road.
For more atas homes:
- Hidden streets in Singapore
- Greatest penthouses in SG
- Landed Architectural Digest homes in SG
- Expensive condo & HDB renos above $200K
Cover image adapted from: Fabian Tan, Villa Nadiah Janda Baik, atap, 29 Design Consultancy
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