Over two decades old Malaysian terrace house in PJ cocooned from bustle of city

The curved wall acts as a sound barrier at Kokun House. Photos: Paperspace

Its white facade has an unassuming vibe but there is more than meets the eye in terms of its function.

Located in Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Kokun House is a double-storey terrace that is over two decades old situated directly opposite the busy LDP highway.

It was designed by Paperspace, an architecture and interior design studio founded by husband-and-wife team Winston Zane See and Amy Ang.

“There were no sound barrier walls built along this particular stretch of houses. Therefore, the main priority was to provide a safe and quiet haven for the small family to live in,” said See.

“Designing a terrace house is always tricky because we have to work with the existing surroundings, site conditions and structure. The existing house has a little car porch roof which we extended sideways and it provides us with a base for a sound barrier wall.

“However, we knew that the wall had to be tall enough to buffer out the noise and now that the house is essentially protruding out compared to the neighbours’ since we are building it on the car porch roof, we decided that a curved wall is more appropriate as it reduces the scale of the façade.

The balcony garden with outdoor seating is one of the owners’ favourite spots in the house.

“This also avoids ‘sharp’ corners which are deemed taboo to some Malaysians. The large wall is also detached from the party walls on the left and right to further reduce the scale of the façade and the gaps are strategically located to not compromise on the privacy of the bedroom and bathroom.

“The gaps also allow the air to ventilate into the courtyard and function as a peephole for the owners to maintain visibility to the front of the house,” said See.

Behind the wall is a little sanctuary – with frangipani plants – accessible from the master bedroom. It is one of the couple’s favourite spots in the house, where they often enjoy a drink in the evening.

“Due to authorities’ requirements, we could not build enclosed areas above the car porch roof, and since the front of the house did not have much to look at, we decided to introduce a private garden courtyard for the parents to use as an extension to their room.

“The courtyard is large enough to house a small sitting area and, with some greenery, it fulfills the one and only thing which the house was lacking in: A view.”

Completed in December 2020, Kokun House was designed for a couple and their son. Their love for antiques is evident from their furniture and furnishings. Brown, orange and red Nyonya floor tiles in the dining area further add a retro touch to the interior.Nyonya floor tiles add a retro touch to the interior.

The name of the house comes from the Malay word for cocoon.

“Just like all our projects, we gave it a pet name in Bahasa Malaysia which either represents a value or concept behind the project,” explained See.

The remodelling also involved a major makeover on the ground floor, while maintaining the split-level design, and an extension of the back portion of the house.

“The existing house was built at least 20 years ago and, during that time, the lifestyle and requirements of homeowners were quite different. Rooms were more compartmentalised back then and there was always only a wet kitchen which meant there was limited space to host.

“We reorganised the space to separate the primary and secondary spaces in a linear arrangement from front to back – primary being the main area such as living, dining and dry kitchen, and secondary being wet kitchen, pantry, store and staircase.

“In a small living space such as a terrace house, every square foot counts and once we’ve reconfigured the space, we have a successful open plan which reduces unnecessary corridors and dead spaces.A skylight channels natural daylight into the home, instantly brightening up the space and generating interesting shadow plays at different times of the day. Photos: Paperspace

“Interestingly, with the proper separation of primary and secondary spaces, we are able to plan our services (cabling, plumbing, air-cond pipes) efficiently and hide them above the ceiling of the secondary spaces so that our primary spaces could have a higher ceiling.”

See added that, subsequently, bathrooms were stacked above bathrooms and wet areas to achieve a more cost-effective and practical construction.

The design also included a hidden room in the kitchen which was formerly a helper’s room, now used as a walk-in pantry.

“We relocated the helper’s bath to the back which is also bigger now to cater for a proper shower area and this made the walk-in pantry even larger, which technically can be a small guest bedroom if required.

“The door to the walk-in pantry is built to match the kitchen cabinets, and works as a secret door. As much as we love open plans, some things are meant to be hidden and doors usually stick out like a sore thumb in an area where we do a lot of hosting and gathering,” said See.

The architect also introduced a skylight to channel natural daylight into the otherwise dark, intermediate unit, instantly brightening up the space and generating interesting shadow plays at different times of the day.The stairs cocoon the ‘tree of happiness’ in the centre of the house.

“Since we do not have a garden at the back and limited garden space at the front, we decided to plant a live tree in the house. In this case, it’s called the ‘tree of happiness’ (Garcinia subelliptica) which is also believed to act as a natural air purifier.

“The existing house came with a very charming open staircase which we kept and we planted the tree in the middle of the stairs that wraps around it (incidentally, the stairs cocoon the tree).

“A live tree needs natural sunlight and, coincidentally, the existing family room on the first floor is also quite dark because the bedrooms are placed on the front and back of the house. Therefore, it made a lot of sense to introduce a skylight above the stairs to provide much-needed natural lighting and ventilation to the centre of the house.

“We understand that Malaysia’s heat is no joke so we strategically placed the skylight above the stairs instead of directly over the family room. It is also slightly higher than the roof to create an atrium-like space to reduce heat in the family area. The skylight is detailed with louvres along the sides so that hot air can rise and vent out,” shared See.

In the end, he says, Kokun House is a prime example of how “form follows function”.

“A house should always be designed to its location to address the good and bad that come with it. Otherwise, a house has no identity and, without one, it is soulless and a waste of money,” he said.

“With the right strategies and organisation, we believe that even small and outdated terrace houses can be made suitable for modern dwellers. When smart layout and clean aesthetics are combined with an eye for detail, we think every space can offer generous living conditions on a small footprint,” he added.