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A Townhouse with a Stand-Alone Appearance That Blurs the Lines between Indoors and Outdoors

By kangsadank
May 5, 2026
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia /

/ Story: Baralee P. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Apinine Thassanopas /

Here is a 30+ year old townhouse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that has been renovated to provide a healthy environment ideally suited to consistent warm weather year-round. It’s the story of a tropical style house being updated to enhance comfort and enjoyment, ultimately resulting in an open plan layout where different areas flow into each other and connect with outdoor spaces nearby. Thanks to proper ventilation and the presence of natural illumination, the home feels more uplifting with greater overall satisfaction.

This is achieved by taking down dividing walls to create large, unified spaces in the interior. Plus, being an end-of-block unit makes it possible to install large openings in walls to bring in cool air and drive out heat. Where appropriate, old roofing materials are replaced by corrugated transparent sheets creating a skylight system equipped with blower fans to expel hot and humid air from the building. In the meantime, more plants are put in strategically to create natural façades in all directions. The vertical green spaces provide protection from sun’s heat making the home comfortable without relying on air conditioning.

This vibrant townhouse is in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia which is located just north of the equator. The region is known for being hot and humid year-round, not to mention heavy rainfall brought on by two monsoon seasons. Who would have thought? A simple but clever idea can make such a difference in creating a comfortable living environment. Thanks to meticulous planning, there is almost no need for air conditioning. The AC is turned on only twice a year, max.

Here the journey begins. A townhouse that’s over 30 years old in Peninsular Malaysia has been tastefully renovated as a German expat’s dream home providing ample space for his adorable pet dogs. OTCQ Architects undertook the remodeling project, successfully transforming it into a house with a peaceful yard. Precisely, it’s about redefining tropical design along more practical lines by integrating the home into its natural surroundings to maximize comfort and functionality.

Architecturally speaking, end-unit townhouses offer many benefits typically associated with detached homes. In this specific case, the team of architects at OTCQ think it wise to move the main entryway from under the triangular gable façade and position it on the wide side of the rectangular house plan.

By embracing the concept of adaptive reuse, they make certain that all essential structural components, including pillars, beams and the entire roofing system, remain intact. Where appropriate, non-load-bearing walls are removed to create a fluid, open-concept space that maximizes natural light, improves ventilation and fosters social interaction. Meanwhile, large windows provide an unobstructed view of the outdoors, blurring the boundaries between living spaces and the surroundings ultimately creating healthier, more pleasant living.

The new façade not only defines the home’s character through a wide horizontal presence but also allows for an open floor plan that makes indoor and outdoor rooms feel spacious, well lit, and well ventilated. As the architects intended, generous exterior wall openings, such as wide sliding doors and floor-to-ceiling windows, bring in natural light and fresh air to make the home feel cozy and inviting. Proper ventilation is highly effective in dissipating heat quickly, while strategically placed clear polycarbonate roof panels keep the interior dry by preventing condensation and moisture buildup. They work alongside the exhaust fans installed in the rooftop to create indoor thermal comfort.

The open-plan ground floor gives the townhouse a more spacious and airy atmosphere creating a visual flow where all areas feel connected from the living room to dining room and kitchen. A long dining table with a cast-in-place concrete countertop nearby is immediately visible upon entering. It acts as the heart of a home functioning as a vital space for bonding and sharing meals with friends and loved ones. There is a kitchen counter nearby for preparing and cooking food. As to be expected of well-designed tropical homes, brick flooring provides a warm, textured aesthetic creating a seamless indoor-outdoor living space.

Open plan design combines the living area, dining room and kitchen into one cohesive space, a clever hack to make the home feel more spacious, well lit, and well ventilated.

The second floor feels like a mezzanine, rather than a completely enclosed, separate level. It has a sitting room with a productive home work area nearby. At the far end lies an open-concept bedroom with an open bathroom en suite offering an airy, expansive feel. An S-shaped privacy wall separates wet and dry areas, while the wash basin is slightly elevated to a comfort height. At the same time, brick flooring creates a vintage, rustic feel that goes hand in hand with the floor below.

A large window floods the upstairs work area with natural light. It opens to improve ventilation as the need arises.

With regard to interior decoration, the overall effect is impressive yet simple keeping only necessary furniture to reduce clutter. Natural, imperfect elements speak volumes for the homeowner’s passion for a raw feel in interior decoration. The same is true of the townhouse exterior that’s adorned with healthy trees and climbing vines offering aesthetic, environmental and practical benefits.

Together they serve as natural privacy screens while providing year-round noise reduction and protecting the townhouse from heavy rain, wind, harsh sun and extreme temperatures. In short, all of these factors combine to establish the character of tropical design that relies on passive cooling, proper ventilation and blurring indoor-outdoor boundaries to create healthier, more pleasant living.

Architects: OTCQ Architects

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An Urban Townhouse Renovated for the Comfort of an Aging Parent

By kangsadank
April 8, 2026
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Kangsadan K. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nantiya June /

A three-story townhouse nestled in the heart of Bangkok’s downtown tells the story of a family in the good old days. Photographs from 40 years back show Mom and her two daughters, documenting an account of past events in their lives amid change driven by city growth. When it came time to update and make it comfortable and safe for everyone, the homeowner decided to leave it in the good hands of a team of architects to bring it to a good state of repair.

It’s a restoration townhouse project that came at the right time as Mom was getting older. Among others, a lift was installed to make moving easy from one floor to another. The opportune use of the elevator also saved floor space, making the whole house interior feel large, warm and cozy despite being in the middle of a big city.

A drawing illustrates space utilization on the first floor. / Courtesy of WOS Architects

A drawing of the second floor plan. / Courtesy of WOS Architects

A drawing of the third floor plan. / Courtesy of WOS Architects

A diagram of the covered rooftop deck. / Courtesy of WOS Architects

To maintain structural integrity, the renovators make certain that the framework of the split-level townhouse remains intact. The townhouse consists two parts, the front and the rear accessed via an oblique stairwell set at a 45-degree angle in the middle of the house plan. A skylight system built into the rooftop deck lets natural daylight shine through from the uppermost point all the way to the first floor.

The overall strong, well-designed house makes it easy for the architects to make slight adjustments to achieve a perfect fit. The result is a bright and airy interior with spatial arrangements tailored to specific family lifestyle needs. In essence, it’s a design that takes the precaution of safety and comfort for the aging parent.

First things first, the architects searched out the best spot to install the elevator to make sure there is no negative impact on the existing structure of the house. For a more wheelchair-friendly interior, the first floor entrance hall in front of the lift boasts an open plan that’s conveniently connected to the living room and dining room nearby.

Where appropriate, a gently inclined ramp is put in to join two different levels while the room at the rear of the house transforms into a kitchen with a bathroom close by. A few steps away, a wash area feels open and airy, thanks to a volume of space overhead that rises three stories high all the way to the upper covering of the building.

The second floor holds two bedrooms. Mom’s bedroom occupies the front wing of the house while that of the firstborn is tucked away at the rear. The younger daughter’s bedroom is on the third floor directly above that of her sister. All three rooms give a feeling of comfort and relaxation with furniture doubling as room dividers. Mom’s room is more special, thanks to a semi-outdoor gallery protected by a façade of louvered panels.

Together they keep the sitting room cool, well-lit and well-ventilated. By and large, it’s the picture of faux wood slats filling up the angled face of the building. Meanwhile, the two bedrooms at the rear create a sense of connection to nature, as a result of generous openings in the wall letting fresh outdoor air into the home.

A work of outstanding design is evidenced by the storage cabinets built flush with the walls in many parts of the townhouse. The interior living space is light and airy, while warm paint colors paired with vintage wooden furniture make it feel warm and inviting. In a few words, it’s a home characterized by the power of storytelling about strong family bonds. Here, a relationship made in heaven is expressed in a rich, subtle and happy way.

Architects: WOS Architects

This house appears in the special Baan Lae Suan issue on the theme of “Cozy Living in Urban Homes” is out now. Design lovers, this one is for you. It’s the latest in the ongoing “ASEAN Tropical House Series”.

The exciting new bilingual edition (Thai-English) is a nice little collab between the Baan Lae Suan Press and its English language media arm Living ASEAN. It’s the coming together of ideas for dealing with the problem of limited space, turning site constraints into solutions. Precisely, it looks at problem solving techniques, ultimately creating small urban homes that are right within the context of Southeast Asia. In this issue, ten houses are chosen for their exemplary designs that inspire. It’s meant for architects, designers, and homeowners searching out new ideas for creating a living space that’s cozy and comfortable plus it blends in beautifully with the environment.

Available at bookstores nationwide. Or go online. Order now at https://www.naiin.com/product/detail/621643

For bulk international orders, contact livingasean.bkk@gmail.com

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A Narrow, Multigenerational Home Lets Nature Permeate

A Single-Story Home That Grows in Company with Trees

QAH: A Gable Front Townhouse Strikes a Balance between Work and Life

By kangsadank
April 30, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Ninh Thuan, Vietnam /

/ Story: Kangsadan K. / English version: Bob Pitawkong /

/ Photographs: Paul Phan /

A gable front townhouse with a high-pitched roof stands out from the rest in a peaceful neighborhood of Phan Rang-Thap Cham, a coastal city in Ninh Thuan Province about four hours’ ride from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The limited amount of space notwithstanding, the indoor environment is surprisingly comfortable thanks to a small inner courtyard designed for improved natural light and ventilation.

Using wood adds visual interest to the indoor environment, improves acoustics and balances out the coarseness of concrete surfaces.

Named “QAH”, the three-story terraced house offering 220 square meters of living space is the brainchild of Q&A Architects, an architectural practice based in Phan Rang-Thap Cham. As to be expected in a dense urban environment, the company was tasked with creating a townhouse that would strike the right balance between work and the fast pace of city life.

After examining the nature of the site and exploring public realm (a shared space in the community), the design team came up with a three-story townhouse plan with roughly 30 percent of total living and functional spaces dedicated to open areas front and back for relaxation. Plus, there’s a small interior yard under the stairs brightened up by an array of skylights built into the rooftop.

The indoor environment feels invitingly comfortable, thanks to a greenery-filled yard enclosed within the building.

That’s not all. Everywhere, smart home functions blend perfectly into convenient interior design hiding in simplicity. Take for example the terrace leading to the front door that’s covered in stone pavers and adorned with greenery thriving under tree cover. To create charm, good looks, the walls are built of wood painted an earthy dark brown that balances out the coarseness of nearby concrete surfaces.

Walk in the door, and you come into the entrance hall connected to a neat and clean dining room and kitchenette. Close at hand, the small inner courtyard lies illuminated by skylights directly above. And beyond, a quiet, secluded office nook hides in plain sight at the farthest end of the room.

A bright interior courtyard under the stairs separates an office nook at the rear from the dining room and kitchenette up front.

In a nutshell, it’s thoughtfully devised to let nature permeate, yet it fits in well with the homeowner’s needs and circumstances. Among the features that create work-life balance in the home, the stairwell at the midpoint of the house plan eliminates the need for mechanical ventilation and artificial light during daytime hours.

A flight of stairs built flush with the adjoining walls separates an office nook at the back from the dining room up front.

The principal bedroom on the second floor is cozy and spacious, thanks to the vaulted ceiling that follows the pitch of the roof. The ceiling and the walls are painted a cool-toned cream, while a sofa set in dark brown and bedding in muted green accent the background colors in the room. Up front, large windows open to admit natural daylight and fresh outdoor air stream into the interior, a perfect combination of colors and textures by any standards.

The principal bedroom on the second floor feel relaxed, thanks to a sofa set in earthy brown and well-positioned large windows affording a view of the cityscape.

The stairway leading to the third floor is brightened up by skylights casting shadows and colors on rough sandy textures on the walls. Together they work in tandem turning the home into a comfortable living space despite space constraints and a narrow frontage abutting the street.

A skylight system built into the rooftop lights up the stairway and a courtyard directly below.

As one would reasonably expect, the third floor holds an ancestral shrine symbolic of Vietnamese folk religion. It’s a mezzanine with an uninterrupted view of the entire interior. Carefully thought out, the courtyard directly below can be seen in full view from here.

A system of skylights built into the rooftop brightens up the spacious, well-ventilated stairwell, a clever hack to create calm and peaceful interiors.

At the very heart of design thinking, the gable front townhouse named “QAH” is made for easy, simple living, and in the fewest possible words, a house plan that strikes the right balance between work and life in the city.

A bird’s eye view of the gable front townhouse in relation to other homes in the neighborhood.

Architects: Q&A Architects (https://www.facebook.com/qaarchitects247/)

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Never Too Small: Renovation Gives a Townhouse the Atmosphere of Home

By livingasean
June 7, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nattakit Jeerapatmitee /

An old townhouse in the heart of Bangkok’s downtown has been lovingly restored in ways that adapt to changing lifestyle needs. No longer is it a stuffy, overcrowded space lacking fresh air and ventilation. A redesigned open floor plan has given it the feeling of home, a sense of belonging and purpose. Incredibly light and airy, it feels like anything but a townhouse, so to speak.

Inheriting the townhouse from his parents, the new owner has made a firm decision to renovate it to a good state of repair.

It’s the place where he lives when traveling to the city for business. Or it can be available to be rented if need be.

The task of refurbishment was given to a team of architects from the design firm OAAS. Central to their work was the creation of an open concept home plan that’s flexible for multiple uses.

Accordingly, the old second-floor balcony was knocked down and replaced by steel framing for a light and spacious façade.

Upstairs, the entire floor plan was revised, while the ground floor platform was raised slightly to keep it above the edge of the water during a flood.

Never too small to make a difference, the newly refurbished townhouse stands out from the rest in that its building shell is made of air bricks that are great for natural ventilation.

The perforated bricks double as a decorative privacy screen that protects the home from prying eyes. It’s a surefire way to improve air circulation and get rid of stuffy smells, a common problem of townhouse living.

The wooden door opens into a surprisingly peaceful semi-outdoor room aptly named “Sala”, which is Thai for garden pavilion. Albeit situated at the front of the house, it’s a private living space that conveniently connects to the sitting room and dining area lying further inside.

Beautifully designed, it calls to mind an image of a garden sitting area with a side passage for walking along.

The overall effect is impressive. The side passage sets this townhouse apart from the others.

Since it’s often impossible to build a walkway around a townhouse, it makes perfect sense to build one on the inside that connects the garden pavilion at the front with the living room and other functions at the rear.

There is a challenge to overcome. Because the side passage takes away a large chunk of the square footage of the house, the designers have to make a choice from a range of possibilities.

Among them, an open concept floor plan is useful in making the home feel more spacious. There’s no need for room dividers for a home theater or TV lounge since it’s never a desirable lifestyle here.

Plus, by floating furniture, the owner is free to create a more intimate atmosphere and a layout that’s capable of multiple uses.

Owner: Jiramate Chanaturakarnnon

Architect: OAAS

Design team: Sineenart Suptanon, Sirakit Charoenkitpisut, Nattakit Jeerapatmitee, Jiramate Chanaturakarnnon

The article is an excerpt from “Shophouse & Townhome”, a proudly presented publication from the “Best Home Series” under “room Books Publishing.”
Available in paperback (Thai Edition) at: https://www.naiin.com/product/detail/532110
Here’s how to order online. https://www.naiin.com/how-to-buy/read/1125

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303 House: A Modern Narrow Townhouse on a Narrow Lot

303 House: A Narrow Townhome Inspired by Aircraft Interior

By livingasean
February 12, 2021
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam /

/ Story: Nawapat Dusdul / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Quang Tran /

An architectural practice called “Sawadeesign Studio” has applied innovative aircraft cabin ideas to give this narrow townhome a complete makeover. The small family home sits sandwiched between two low-rise buildings in the heart of Tan Binh, an urban district of Ho Chi Minh City. They named the project “303 House.”

Narrow townhomes are a typical housing type omnipresent throughout central Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. By law, places of residence with a narrow frontage to the street (smaller than 3 meters across, to be exact) are not permitted to have more than one level.

In this particular case, the only way to build is arrange all the usable spaces and functions on the same horizontal plane. And the result is a renovation done right in every sense of the word.

From the outside looking in, the entire width of the house is only 2.9 meters. With the exterior walls installed, the inside space comes to just 2.7 meters wide.

Interestingly enough, well-thought-out design turns an awkward narrow plot into a single-story home that’s simple with all useable spaces giving off good vibes. The bright and airy home occupies less than 90 square meters of land.

The design duo, Doan Si Nguyen and Vo Thanh Phat, decided against the most commonly used construction technique. They proposed an alternative method aimed at reducing the amount of concrete used, an option that risked being rejected by investors from the get-go.

For indoor thermal comfort, the ceilings are made of Rockwool tole about 150 mm thick. The coated sheet metal is widely used in the storage industry and large warehouses for its excellent thermal insulation. Here, it’s used to make the interior living spaces comfortable day and night.

The contemporary home interior features mixed materials. Among them, grey plaster on the wall proves a perfect complement to gray epoxy paint on the floor. Together, they provide desirable elements for a calm, peaceful home. Everywhere, furniture made of plywood is a great way to add natural touches to the interior.

As the architects put it, the secret to creating a healthy indoor environment lies in putting multiple layers of functional spaces in neat order to shield the home from the busy street outside. This is especially true in HCMC, where many homes are prone to suffer from the negative effects of outside noise and unrestricted growth of housing areas and commercial development.

Fascinatingly, aircraft cabin ideas came in handy for the townhome built on an extremely long and narrow plot of land. It’s reminiscent to walking along an aisle between rows of seats on an aircraft.

There’s a paved outdoor area in front of the house entrance that provides a place to socialize. Step inside, and you come into a corridor connecting to a living area, kitchen, and laundry room. Wall-mounted storage cabinets line one side of the aisle, with beautifully organized functional spaces on the other.

There are two bedrooms with a bathroom attached tucked away in a quiet place half way down, plus a third bedroom at the rear of the house accessible by a small corridor. Where appropriate, clear roofing materials provide light for houseplants, while openings in the rooftop drive air circulation keeping the interior cool and comfortable without air conditioning.

The house plan is not only tailored to the specific needs of a family of three, but it’s also a well-thought-out place of abode amid the hustle and bustle of the city.

As is often the case with most urban areas, for homeowners there’s a tendency to rent out the space in front of their houses to small retailers and businesses. But the family living at 303 House doesn’t need that kind of income. They prefer to keep the door closed and enjoy privacy in the comfort of their home. Albeit small, it’s an oasis of calm — a home sweet home no doubt.

Architect: Sawadeesign Studio (www.sawadeesign.net)

Lead Architects: Doan Si Nguyen and Vo Thanh Phat

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Three-Storey Townhouse That Makes Space for Nature

By livingasean
November 22, 2019
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Sarayut Sreetip-ard / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham / Styling: Jeedwonder /

Before moving into this three-storey townhouse, architect and university instructor Bhradon Kukiatnun really put his heart into the design and décor to bring about a conversation among people, animals, and things, partly intentional, partly by impulse. Here are imperfections that are either blemishes or beauty marks, depending on our viewpoint.

Bhradon’s business is booming, but designing his own house raised a tremendous number of new questions, not the least of which was how the new living space of a three-storey townhouse would accommodate his eleven cats!

“Three years ago, I bought this place new, and it took two years to fix up,” explained Bradon.

“First problem: organize storage space to hold the tremendous amount of personal stuff needed in my life while still keeping the house orderly. Then, I didn’t want a typical townhouse atmosphere, but neither should it be jarringly different.

“Part of the answer is this new façade, using a type of latticework found elsewhere in the project that fits my personal lifestyle.”

As most townhouses add a roofed-over carport in front, Bhradon also applied his design idea to this requirement.

“There’s more than meets the eye in that front view: a lot of the functions are hidden,” said the architect.

“To really express myself, I had to go back and look at fundamentals with flexibility and an open mind.

“The space in front is limited. Would I rather have a carport there, or a garden? OK, garden: so I designed a garden where I could park the car! Quite different from having a carport decorated with plants.”

The design of this three-storey townhouse called for no structural alterations, but space was apportioned differently. The ground floor holds the living room, dining area, and pantry; second floor, a small bedroom and a workroom; third floor, the master bedroom.

“Inside, you might mistake a door for a wall, or vice versa: my overall concept was to focus on highlighting specific points, making them fit in by hiding some element,” Bhradon explained.

“In the living room, the TV wall is highlighted by hiding its functionality in a wall; the use of covering elements gives the feeling of being in a cave.”

During our conversation Ando, Bhradon’s first adopted cat snuggled up as if to join the group.

“I learned a lot from raising cats,” he said blissfully.

“They don’t think like people. Sometimes our human knowledge drowns out our instincts. But a cat! It wants to sit, lie wherever, just does what it wants.

“This allows single things to have more than one function: TV cabinet or sitting place? Or, for us, a storage spot. Think outside the box.”

We urban dwellers all long for nature. Bhradon answered this with a garden area in the rear of this three-storey townhouse, as he put it: “I think gardens nourish the psyche, so I put a little green in the house, along with a small guppy pond, and it’s a perfect spirit-refresher.

“I like the ‘wabi-sabi’ way of design; the beauty of imperfection, of real life,” he implied. “Real life involves rust; it involves injuries. Can’t eliminate these, right?”

As Bhradon’s speaking voice gradually softened, an unspoken conversation brought into focus the future of the house, the man, the cats, and whatever might lie ahead for them.

“Recently, my cat Kuma died, and I miss her every day. But through the sorrow of loss we see the beauty of living. Being natural is to be incomplete, and we have to live with the things that happen.”

Owner/Architect: Bhradon Kukiatnun

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By livingasean
March 11, 2018
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Peter Montalbano /

/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /

The townhouse is a common type of building in Thailand, especially in Bangkok. Homeowner and architect Narong Othavorn grew up in one, always thinking of ways it could be better designed. Eventually, he and his wife Pim Achariyasilpa chose a 30-year-old townhouse in Si Phraya, a downtown neighborhood, and turned it into one of the most excellent townhouse makeover projects in the city.

Overall, the final building is a combination of the adjacent townhouses. Narong kept the original wrought-metal façade, modifying the original metal entrance door with a mixed frame of wood and steel, leaving the next-door side the entrance to a fourth-floor warehouse.

A picture window in the living room brings in natural light onto washed gravel walls that lead down to a small garden behind the house, inspiration for the “double space” mezzanine.

The double-space ceiling isn’t only about making the lower level look good: it supports the open-plan design.

Glass panels in the dining nook of the mezzanine above extend a feeling of comfort to every space in the house. From the mezzanine there’s a continuous view through glass partitions out to the garden behind the house, and there’s steady circulation of air from front to back.

Townhouses are apt to feel cramped, but not this one! The light is different in each area, but the light is what connects everything.

“These things came from our own personal tastes. Pim likes well-lit spaces. Me, I like indirect light,” explained Narong.

“So with a house for the two of us, we had to get the division of space just right, using the light available in each area. The lower floor is bathed in subdued natural light; upstairs, the living room is brightly lit through the front window.

“Moving back to the dining area and bar, the light is dimmer. Go upstairs to the bathroom and dressing areas and it’s lighter again, suiting the specific limitations and characteristics of each space.”

“Small, but spacious” is how both owners refer to this house: better than adequate, the size is really perfect.

Not so small as to be cramped. Everywhere some things catch your eyes up close and others at a distance. The home offers a master class on how townhouse renovation can work with limited areas to create special, interesting spaces.

Even though adjoining buildings make side windows impossible, careful arrangement of space and windows on higher levels give this house a beauty that is anything but ordinary.

Owner/Architect: Narong Othavorn of SO (www.soarchitects.space)

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SIRI HOUSE FAMILY CO-LIVING SPACE / HOME RENOVATION

FROM SHOPHOUSE TO STYLISH HOME OFFICE

A Bangkok Townhouse Embraces the Charm and Style of the Past

By livingasean
February 28, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Lalitpan Cheumthaisong /English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Ritthirong Chanthongsuk, Soopakorn Srisakul /

Some things never go out of style. Here’s a gorgeous urban home that’s clearly reminiscent of a townhouse in earlier times. Its impressive stylishness exudes both class and relaxation, but looks can be deceiving. Albeit rather old-fashioned in appearance, this townhouse in Bangkok was built not long ago; and yet it expresses the visible form, the finishing and decoration that bring vintage elegance back to life.

The beautiful two-story residence belongs to interior designer Napaporn Pothirach, who bought it from a property developer while it was still under construction. She came in only just in time to apply improvement ideas to the original design.

A dining room-cum-workspace is the most elegantly furnished area of the house.

For a well-lit interior, Napaporn replaced solid walls with an array of glass doors with transom windows. Stairway walls and ceilings on the upper floor were removed to make the room feel larger and more connected. Some of the original windows deemed to be too small were replaced with bigger ones.

The homeowner even found a way to create an attic for her kids, turning the space directly below the pitched roof of the house into an extra room. An aberration from a typical townhouse perhaps? But for the children, it seems like a good idea, something fun, functional and happy.

Taken as a whole, the wooden parts of the house bespeak the homeowner’s passion for woodwork. They include window casings and frames, doors, antique décor, crafts and all things made from wood. Napaporn designed all the built-in furniture, fittings and other ornaments herself.

Among others, wooden cupboards with intricate carvings stand out from the rest. Needless to say, the overall effect is impressive.

Napaporn admitted, with a smile, that she sometimes bought decorative accessories with no specific plan to put them. That’s something which came later on. What a nice fluke! They turned out to be a perfect mix and match style with a common hue.

“I once had the opportunity of visiting the house of Geoffrey Bawa, my favorite architect,” said Napaporn when asked about her inspiration.

“I learned the concepts of space management and the art of applying cultural identity to design. They are the qualities that make a residence feel cozy, charming and timelessly livable.”

Space management as a concept may be simple, yet in practice it’s never easy. This townhouse with all the charm and character has proved one thing. The homeowner has successfully managed to put her newfound knowledge to good use. And it showed in the utilization of space and resources, and the way she intelligently designed and decorated her home with crafts.

Owner/Designer: Napaporn Pothirach

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By livingasean
February 4, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Petaling Jaya, Malaysia /

/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram, Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /

For 40 years, this modest two-story home has stood in a residential neighborhood near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Noise pollution has turned many people away, but the architect David Chan of Design Collective Architects (DCA) has grown so acquainted with living in the area that he decided to stay. A frequent flyer, he thinks it wise to live a stone’s throw away from it all.

No need to say renovation came as a challenge for Chan, who usually made a living designing larger houses. Strictly speaking he had a task that required great effort and was hard to accomplish: Create the good life in a space that was far from generous.

He started out with ventilation improvements. To bring in crisp, clean air, solid front doors were removed and replaced with steel wire mesh paneling. Meantime, blowholes were put into the exterior wall to facilitate heat dissipation and increase indoor thermal comfort.

Chan did a partial tear-down, turning the upper floor into a mezzanine. The result was a light and airy living space in an 80-square-meter townhouse with double high ceilings. Where appropriate, he added windows and other wall openings and painted everything white and soft shades of gray to make the interior appear larger than it was.

Design being so well thought out, who needs air conditioning?

Despite it being a small townhouse, Chan added some much-needed patches of green to the design. He put a hole in the backyard floor and planted a leafy tree that was visible from the living room and bedroom.

The complete makeover went as planned. Chan and his family now live in a beautifully remodeled home in an expedient location in Selangor that best suit their specific needs. Incredible as it may seem, the tiny home is where life begins again, and love never ends.

Owner/Designer: David Chan of Design Collective Architects (DCA)

Mash-up: Industrial Design and Green Space of Walllasia

By livingasean
January 19, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Monosoda / Rewriter: Phattaraphon / English version: Peter Montalbano /

/ Photographs: Nantiya, Jirasak /

Cold black steel may not seem an obvious pairing for green plants, but one award-winning architect of Walllasia has matched the two in a unique and impressive way.

“Steel and the natural world present an interesting conflict to me,” said Suriya Umpansirirat, winner of the Silpathorn Architectural Award and owner of the design studio Walllasia.

“My childhood home was a rice mill in Phatthalung. I grew up playing ‘fix this, fix that’ in an industrial plant, but set in the midst of trees my father had planted.”

Adding to his compact two-storey house, he used a unique design based on childhood memories. The rawness of the black steel comes across as part and parcel of nature, meshing easily with the green leaves all about. Structural lines here are simple and straightforward, but full of architectural finesse.

When Suriya needed to expand his 64-square-meter townhouse, he bought and annexed the house directly behind, allowing no more width but creating two times the depth.

Between the two, he created a courtyard where the sun shines in. A metal frame is set like a ring around the courtyard, separating the two structures without physically attaching them to each other.

Every spot in the house has many varieties of plants and trees, looking as though they have sprung up naturally.

There is an automatic drip irrigation system which prevents water waste and also saves a lot of gardening time.

A workshop for artifacts and inventions. A big bike sits, waiting for a ride.

Suriya’s passion for nature’s fine details complements another side of him, which has him creating fine crafts in the workshop. His own artworks and a plethora of inventions and artifacts have become part of the house.

This award-winning architect of Walllasia has also done a lot of work on many religious sites, and this influence keeps his home a “work in progress”, never entirely finished, and saturated with Buddhist concepts and thought.

“Religion is about how to deal with human life,” he spoke about his inspiration.

“Each religion has a philosophy for finding happiness. Architecture grows from that: how can we express our own esthetics without encroaching on others? I tried to design this house to look simple and straightforward, for comfortable living without too many frills. For me, practical considerations are what’s important.”

Perhaps for a person of passion, practical living shouldn’t involve hoarding or accumulating, but reduction, or letting go instead, until what is left is the core essence of a home.

Owner/Architect: Suriya Umpansirirat of Walllasia (www.walllasia.com)

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Mash-up: Industrial Design and Green Space of Walllasia

Cold black steel may not seem an obvious pairing for green plants, but one award-winning architect of Walllasia has matched the two in a unique and impressive way.

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