The Good Verde

Raymond Lee’s well-considered renovation of a family home in Petaling Jaya is green outside and exuberantly colourful inside.

When the Pantone Color Institute declared Greenery as 2017’s Color of the year, it was chosen to reflect the current “growing desire to reconnect with Nature and what is real.” Indeed, there is nothing more soothing for the senses and soul than nature’s bounty and this verdant enclave in a mature Petaling Jaya suburb is blessed with an abundance of it. Located in a serene cul de sac, this large 5,500 sqf house, with its equally large garden, played a key role in inspiring designer Raymond Lee of Xceptional Interiors.

“The garden is one of the major attractions in this house, as it is most generous in size. As the lot is almost at the edge of the street, it provided a most quiet and peaceful space for my clients. (The house was not over built in relation to the land size.) The garden was one of the key inspirations and provided me with the base idea to develop the interior décor and styling in this project,” he explains.

The previous owners had renovated the house many years ago, and while the basic structure and architecture of the house was well appreciated,the interiors were rather dark with many aspects of the fit out-dated. “One visit during the site inspection in the early days gave me inspiration to make the house so much brighter and more livable for my clients. I already saw the potential and recommended several changes that would make a significant impact to the house,” recalls Raymond.