The dining terrace opens completely to the garden. Photos: MJ Kanny Architect
Indoor-outdoor living spaces top the wishlists of many homeowners and for good reason.
Who doesn’t want to maximise space to entertain and relax, surrounded by open spaces and lush landscapes? For one family, the connection between the cosiness of their home and the beauty of nature is keenly felt throughout.
According to the homeowner, who only wanted to be known as Genevieve, the idea of building her family’s own home in Malaysia after living abroad for years truly came into being during the pandemic.
While looking for an architect to work with, she and her husband chanced upon Melvyn Kanny of MJ Kanny Architect.
It was Melvyn’s aesthetic, use of natural materials and sensitive approach to sustainability that convinced them.
“When the pandemic hit, my son and I returned to Malaysia first before the rest of the family (my husband and two daughters) joined us. We were staying in this beautiful three-storey house but I discovered that it was tiring going up and down. I didn’t think it was going to be our retirement home. And we were not getting any younger since our three kids were already adults,” shares Genevieve.
“We love a simple life and we wanted to have more outdoor space in our home.”
The gabled roof keeps the main living area cool.
So the family decided to build a house that would, more than anything else, be about nature.
It was built on a plot of land that had remained a blank canvas for years.
The house is situated in a quiet corner in Bukit Jelutong, at the end of a road, and is named The Enclave House for its location.
Despite being newly built, the facade exudes an outdoor-indoor charm, which links to the family’s story.
“We lived in different parts of Africa for about 15 years and there was a particular home that we stayed briefly in South Africa that I really loved. I wanted this new home of ours to feel like that,” explains Genevieve.
Guests entering the home are pleasantly surprised with a water feature and a small tree that create an unexpected outdoor experience.
A lush oasis
The result is a sprawling home that breaks the norm of a typical double-storey Malaysian residence. Taking into consideration the family’s lifestyle and needs, Melvyn and his team created a unique spin to the one-and-a-half-storey home where each room opens up to the landscape, making the most of their natural surroundings.
Entering the 557sq m home, the space opens up to a water feature and a frangipani tree. This sets the tone for the rest of the home, giving visitors a feeling of still being outdoors.
The main section of the one-and-a-half-storey house in the evening.
“Guests who enter our home are always wowed by this, since from the outside, the house is very unassuming. They always say it feels like stepping into a resort and they’d be willing to house sit for us!” laughs Genevieve.
Natural light pours in through the ceiling, which also ventilates the space.
Water features surround the home, creating visual separation between the public and private areas such as the living areas and bedrooms.
This creates a space that is open enough to welcome guests, yet private enough to sequester the family.
According to Genevieve, she considers the kitchen and dining area (outfitted with a terrace that overlooks the garden) as the central focus of the home. And it’s her favourite part of the house.
“I simply love spending time there. Plus, we love having people over so the home is designed in a way that the kitchen, dining room, guest room and TV area are all in the same section. This allows us to host guests easily at home while also having the option for a quiet night in as a family separately,” she adds.
The master bedroom opens up to the garden.
Keeping it personal
Every inch of the house offers glimpses of the family’s years abroad, evident of the many intricate African-themed decor.
An impressive African wooden boat sculpture that they got in 2007, alongside several glass beads from Ghana, now sits proudly in the main living area.
Adds Genevieve, “We’ve also managed to keep most of the furniture from our previous home. We love wood and you can see in almost every area of the house there is some element of wood.”
In keeping with the overall home’s natural and unfinished aesthetic, load-bearing hollow concrete walls were kept in their natural rugged finish and plastered walls were left unpainted.
The homeowner never tires of the beautiful garden view she gets from the kitchen.
“We purposely kept the walls like this and it’s made the upkeep easy! You will also find concrete vent blocks along walkways that provide natural ventilation and add character to the home,” says Genevieve.
An ode to the natural environment in which it respectfully sits, this private retreat meets all the requirements of contemporary indoor-outdoor spaces, and then some.
The dining terrace opens completely to the garden. Photos: MJ Kanny Architect
The main section of the one-and-a-half-storey house in the evening.
The gabled roof keeps the main living area cool.
Concrete vent blocks create a perforated pattern that acts as a natural ventilation system.
Guests entering the home are pleasantly surprised with a water feature and a small tree that create an unexpected outdoor experience.
The homeowner never tires of the beautiful garden view she gets from the kitchen.
This is one of the few courtyards in the home that brings the outdoors indoors.
An unobstructed view of lush greenery from the bathroom.
The master bedroom opens up to the garden.
