Kampung house revisited

Kampung house revisited
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Note the high ceiling for ventilation purposes
Pictures by T.K. Lim

The guard at the security post asked me my business at the gated community.

I told him that I was looking for Desmond Ho’s house, and he pointed out a “wooden house” nearby.

This is no ordinary wooden house for it stands two stories high, topped by a double volume ceiling.

It is a 21st century version of the traditional kampung house complete with tangga Melaka(Malacca steps), serambi(verandah) and dinding papan(wooden walls).

Apparently an interior decoration no-no: bamboo leaf mat on the ceiling instead of plaster in the sitting room
At the moment, it stands alone as its neighbouring plots have not been built up yet.

Driving up its fenceless driveway, a pool with a multitude of tilapia, water plants and a fountain offers a soothing sight.

A few steps lead up to the outdoor foyer, which then connects to the outdoor living areas.

The house owner is the managing director of Terra Garden, which designs and builds outdoor living spaces.

It is therefore no surprise when he says the outdoors take up two-thirds of the total land area.

Designing the outdoors is where his strength lies; after all, he is the developer of the Neo Nusantara concept which revolves around gardens which can be "lived in".

Rattan chairs are just the thing in this outdoor terrace beside the pool
But the reality is, one has to have a roof and walls for a living space.

The next best thing is to bring in the outdoors, and a verandah along the front of the house is a good place to start.

It leads to the sitting room through pivot doors, which can be adjusted to control the amount of air and light entering.

He takes great pains to explain his Neo Nusantara concept, which evolved from his study of the arts and crafts of the Malay archipelago.

"I have interpreted the findings and expressed them in my own way.

Shower under the stars in this outdoor bathroom
"There are many ideas which we can extract from local art and craft; there is enough to tap from this region as Malaysia is a melting pot."

The characteristics of the house are based on this research.

Examples of this are all over the house.

The wooden lattice work above the doors are based on the kain pelekat(sarong).

Certain sections of the walls are constructed in the old dinding papan style, where the timber planks overlap each other horizontally, much like roof tiles, so that the rain water can run off.

A lifestyle centred around dinner beside the pool and outdoor living when the sun is not overhead
Art deco chairs sit on natural fibre mats.

Rather than using the usual plaster to cover the ceiling, bamboo leaf mats are used to bring in the kampung ambience.

“I have broken quite a few interior decoration rules,” Ho admits.

Next to the sitting area is the dining area, which has hardly been used, not because it is not comfortable, but because the outdoor seating has a stronger pull.

His wife, Annie Chitty explains: “We have been living here for a couple of years, and we normally have breakfast and lunch at the breakfast counter in the kitchen area and dinner, outdoors.”

But that is not to say that this dining area, which faces the garden and swimming pool, has a confined feeling about it as diners can look out through glass walls.

The sitting and dining area make up the rumah ibu (literally ‘mother house’ to mean ‘main part of the house’) and a few steps lead down to the kitchen area.

The window sill next to the breakfast counter is a convenient bench

A sizeable area, it is unusual in that it has no wet kitchen.

The breakfast counter is obviously a much loved and used area, as it opens to the garden area.

A window sill serves as a bench where Ho can loll on, contemplating his garden while he sips his coffee.

The stairs, which lead up to the rooms and down to the basement, are placed towards one side of the house.

The railings of the bannisters are lovely, decorated with a pucuk paku (fern shoots) motif.

Plenty of sitting area with comfortable rattan chairs and daybed in the outdoor living area near the pool

As one goes up the steps, one can look out through glass windows which are enhanced by another motif seen quite a lot around the house, that of the pucuk rebung(bamboo shoot).

The bedrooms lead off a corridor, starting with the children’s rooms and at the end of the corridor, the guest bedroom, which enjoys a good view from three sides of the room.

The three rooms have high ceilings, but the ceiling in the children’s rooms “have been covered up to give the rooms a more cosy look,” explains the lady of the house, “while the guest room retains the high ceiling as adults can appreciate it.”

A convenient place to place keys and the like beside the main door

Visitors to this house feel they are visiting a resort and joke that they have booked the guest room!

The master bedroom has a double-volume ceiling which increases the height and volume of the room to cater for hot and cold air transfer.

As with most houses, there is the usual bathroom attached but what Ho is justifiably proud of is another bathroom, which is out in the open, leading off from the bedroom.

Stepping out from his bedroom first thing in the morning, he sees his beloved potted plants, and slightly to the left, his open-air shower and jacuzzi.

A night-time shower must be an experience to be savoured as the moon is directly overhead.

Chengal wood is used extensively all over the house, and here, beside the jacuzzi and the swimming pool downstairs, chengal boards are left unvarnished, as Ho loves the old, seasoned look, besides being not slippery.

The basement (“actually it is a sub-basement as it is not entirely dug into the ground”) is the coolest part of the house, and it houses the den and the study.

The outdoors is dedicated to numerous sitting areas with rattan chairs, a pond, a swimming pool, an alfresco dining area and a herb garden at the back.

The top of the fence serves as a planter box as well

At one corner is another outdoor shower.

The wooden fence which runs right down one side of the garden is very creative; a planter box runs right across the top, from which hang petunias and other plants.

Vertical wooden slats make up the fence and at intervals, hidden behind Baba Nyonya carvings are lamps, which should turn the outdoors into a nusantara wonderland as the evening wears on.

Right now the occupants of the house have a clear view all around, “but when the other houses come up, I’ll move,” jokes Ho.

Having put in such a lot of effort, one would think not, but who knows, Ho might just need another avenue for his creative expression.