Doyenne of the interior decorators

Doyenne of the interior decorators
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By Johnni Wong

The home of Datin Gaik Merican – founder of the Janine interior décorating and furnishing company – is more than a soothing blend of contemporary colours, textures and antiques.

With all the security features of the gated and guarded property, Gaik and her husband Datuk Malek regard their condominium home as a sanctuary.

A Chinese lattice-screen delineates the dinning room and lounge from the entrance hallway
The 315sq m (3,500sq ft) condominium home in Bukit Sri Persekutuan is decorated with bric-a-brac such as netsuke carvings and Nonyaware as well as family pictures that hold many precious memories for Gaik and her husband of 50 years.

Says Gaik: “We were looking for a new place for security reasons and we heard about this development of townhouses, bungalows and condominiums by IGB through Johan Kekal Sdn Bhd.

“We decided on purchasing a home here because this development is sited within so many acres of land. Also, the development site is on old Federal Hill.

Datin Gaik prides herself on being able to spot excellent works of art, like the Jolly Koh painting above her.
“We saw how the whole development was to be arranged. We were interested in a condominium unit as the buildings were not high-rise structures. Our block has only five floors.

“I stood on the hill and was told that this would be where my condominium home will be sited. We saw the plans and decided to sign up.

“We purchased one of those special units which have two balconies. Actually, the larger units were all sold. So, they took part of a 243sq m (2,700sq ft) unit and another part of a 225sq m (2,500sq ft) unit to create this 315sq m (3,500sq ft) unit.”

Although the Datin was reluctant to mention the purchase price, it is understood that the condominium units at Bukit Sri Persekutuan generally cost RM560 per square foot.

“We like the design of the show unit and the scale model of the whole development.”

Gaik advises that upholstered seats must be perfectly fitted, otherwise, even if you use good fabric, they won't look good
Apparently, within the 7.3 hectares (18 acres) of land, the development is limited to a total of 148 units of homes, comprising: *6 semi-detached houses *24 bungalows *38 townhouses *80 condominium units

With her background in interior design, Gaik was confident when she “read the plans” – of what she and her husband were getting from the developer.

“We love the panoramic views of the city, KLCC & Petronas Twin Towers, Lake Garden, Muzium Negara, the Hilton and Le Meridien hotels.

“There are only five units on my floor and the entrance foyer is very large. It is very quiet here. We have lived here for a little over a year as we were one of the earlier settlers.”

Gaik describes her interior as having a beige or straw-coloured scheme which goes well with her furniture collection
When Gaik moved into her condominium unit from her bungalow, her antique sideboards, console tables, marble-top dining table, chairs, screens, wood carvings, ceramics and chandeliers came with her.

“In the 60s, my husband was working in the Treasury and we only had Government-issued furniture to use. They weren’t very elegant.

“Most of my antique furniture was collected in the mid-60s and 70s. We often visited Malacca and whenever we saw nice things, we would buy them. But they were not expensive in those days. For instance, we found this set of Victorian style chairs when we were rummaging through the warehouse of a dealer.”

In decorating her own home, Gaik found that it wasn’t easy to source for good quality soft furnishing material such as wallpapers and upholstery fabrics.

This second and smaller lounge offers a more intimate space
In 1982, Gaik established her own interior decorating business when she opened Janine at the former Yow Chuan Plaza. Today, she has expanded her business with outlets at the Great Eastern Mall and Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

“We enjoy quite good business. We now have the second generation of customers as the children of our first customers are coming back to us.”

Gaik describes her decorating style as “modern” classic with a “timeless” appeal. For instance, her company – which is now run by her daughter Karina – imports fabrics and wallpapers from famous UK labels such as Osborne & Little, Nina Campbell, Andrew Martin and Designers Guild. The Janine outlets also bring in elegant furniture from Spain and Indonesia.

Choice furnishings in this guest room include the exquisite Nina Campbell wallpaper