Second Nature

This home by Architect Fabian Tan allows its owners to wholeheartedly embrace the natural climate.

We seldom value what we have in abundance, and this is especially true for appreciating our tropical climate. Ask the average Malaysian and they’ll say they would rather be in air-conditioning indoors as opposed to communing with the sweltering heat outside. On the flip side, those from cooler climes seem to value the appeal of integrating the outdoors into everyday living - Like this European couple with three daughters, who wanted their home in Kuala Lumpur to have a more seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors despite living in a standard terrace house.

The couple decided to contact Fabian Tan of Fabian Tan Architect after visiting their friend’s house which Tan had renovated, which they loved. “They were very attracted to my works because of the clean lines and minimalist style. I was attracted to the project partially because, when I visited them at their old place, the wife seemed to be quite the interior decorator with a very nice collection of east and west furniture and decor items. I think we have chemistry for aesthetics and that is important in any project for the client-architect relationship,” enthuses Tan.