39 minutes
WHEN thinking of a dream house, most would imagine a sprawling mansion with a manicured lawn, a huge swimming pool, and a breathtaking view, or an out of this world space with endless high-end facilities.
But for some, they would prefer a small living space that is both practical for work and comfortable to live in with family.
One such person is Sara Yusri, who has transformed her 800 square foot, three-bedroom apartment in Gombak into her dream home.
Sara elevated the space into a bright, airy, and cozy space for her family of five.
Sara, whose real name is Sarah Abu Bakar, 37, and who works as a secretary in the public sector, lives with her husband, Yusri Fauzi, 42, and their three children, aged between 14 and five years old.
She moved into the house on March 15, 2020, just days before the first Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented, and started her interior design project, which was completed in September 2021, despite the lockdown.
Sara brought a sense of warmth to the house with her own version of minimalist design, inspired by Scandinavian style with an entirely white interior, evoking calmness with a pop of soft hues.
For Sara, all she needed was some clever design ideas which she picked up from the internet, combined with her own ideas to turn her ‘house’ into a clean, comfy, and aesthetically beautiful home.
Simple and cozy
“The interior design style is simple and cozy. Actually, I like to find ideas and pictures on the internet. Apart from Pinterest, Instagram is also one of my favourite apps to find some new and fresh ideas, “admits Sara.
Before she started her design process, Sara assessed all the limitations that came with small-space living. “I made sure that I did not put in some bulky furniture as the space is not so big,“ said Sara.
She chose furniture that complements the limited space and interior design style, giving the impression that the space is larger. The selection of furniture had to be practical but beautiful, too.
“Besides being functional, I wanted the furniture to be aesthetically appealing,“ said Sara.
To keep the design look cohesive and serene, white or neutral-toned furniture is mixed with a variety of textures, delicate designs, and soft pastel colours in the living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
“I transformed it into a cozy house by arranging the furniture and, at the same time, I tried to avoid hanging too many decorative pieces on the wall to avoid creating a cluttered feeling,“ said Sara.
Sara’s living room has a three-seater sofa, which is complemented by a patterned carpet and cushions with prints.
“I also made some simple decorations with some fresh indoor plants and mirrors.”
“Mirrors will make your space look wider, and the light reflected from the mirror will make the house look brighter.”
Apart from furniture, lighting fixtures and paint colours also played a significant role.
All white walls
Elaborating on her choice of white, she said: “I always choose white because I want it to look wider, brighter, and cleaner,” referring to painting walls from floor-to-ceiling.
Designing the living room and bedroom is much easier compared to designing the kitchen. She shared that avoiding dark colours and using bright and pastel colours.
“I chose the white tiles for countertops, white walls and white cabinetry for a cohesive look and because the kitchen space is very small (4 ft x 10 ft only),“ said Sara.
Sara’s initial budget was about RM30,000, but she ended up spending RM35,000 in total on the house renovation, furniture, and decorations.
Although she is not a professional, her own experience taught her about interior designing, and thus, she would like to share some of her own tried and tested tips with theSun readers.
“I think there are so many tricks that you can incorporate in a small space to make your house larger than its original space,“ she said.
According to Sara, there are three things we could do to make the space larger.
First, be mindful of the placement of furniture. Don’t use bulky items. Put only useful furniture in the house.
Secondly, avoid using dark colours and use bright or pastel colours, instead.
Thirdly, well-placed mirrors help the house to look wider and bigger.
