MALAYSIAN supermodel Amber Chia believes that if you over-decorate your house, it might turn out looking too grand, and you might feel like a bird trapped in a golden cage.
“Your home should be comfortable and practical,” said Chia, who was kind enough to let theSun have a look at her three-storey house in Kuala Lumpur.
“I spend a lot of time at home when I am not working. As such, it is important to feel warm and cosy. I want my house not to be overcrowded with stuff. I love to have plenty of empty spaces that give a certain sense of freedom.”
She said she is glad that visitors to her home also feel at ease and relaxed.
Chia said when she first started decorating her home, her dining table had fancy-looking wooden chairs.
“The chairs looked beautiful, but they were not comfortable for you to sit on for a long time. I spend a lot of time at my dining table, enjoying meals while chatting with friends and family, so it’s important to have comfortable dining chairs.”
She then changed her stylish wooden chairs to ones with comfortable cushions.
In term of decor style, Chia describes her home as a mixture of modern, contemporary and classic.
The model, who has appeared in more than 300 magazine covers and many runway shows, said:” When you have these elements combined in your interior, your house will look timeless. If you follow a certain trend, then a few years later, your house will look out of fashion and you will need another major redecorating.
“I do not want to change the look of my house constantly like the way I change my clothes!” she quipped.
The most striking feature in her home is the living room, where she has big red drapes and a huge portrait of herself on the wall, which was taken 19 years ago.
“I was 21 when the portrait was taken,” said Chia, who was born in Teluk Intan, Perak but raised in Tawau, Sabah.
“The portrait is always a talking point among my guests. A few of my guests were even inspired to put a huge portrait of themselves in their own living rooms.”
On her favourite colour, Chia said it is red, followed by black and white. These colours, especially white, dominate her home.
For her bedroom, she goes for white with a simple look. The most expensive item in her bedroom is her mattress.
“I believe in investing in a good mattress because I spend a lot of time here. A comfortable bed is important for me to sleep well.”
Her bedroom has huge windows that allows sunlight into the room.
“According to Chinese fengshui, it is good luck to allow the sun to shine into your bedroom,” she said.
Chia converted one of the seven rooms in her house into a walk-in closet.
“I have a lot of clothes for my modelling. A huge walk-in closet is necessary to keep things neat and in order.”
Her garden is small and simple, with a bench. The garden area is mostly for her Golden Retriever named Kely, that she adopted 16 years ago. “The garden has space for Kely to roam easily and allows me to spend time with her too.”
She moved into the house in Jalan Klang Lama in 2008 and is very happy to stay put.
“It is unlikely I will move from here. I have gotten used to the house and living in this area.
