Feature News 2: A Dream House
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A MALAYSIAN-AMERICAN couple shared a dream of living in a Spanish-style home. Six years later, their dream came true.
Malaysian-born Diyana Ladue and her American husband Shaari Ladue are now living in a 5,000 square feet gorgeous Spanish farmhouse (more like a mansion!) in Melaka.
While Diyana, an in-house legal counsel, and Shaari, an English instructor, were working in Abu Dhabi, they always wanted to settle down in Malaysia. They began looking at what was available on the market, and what they envisioned to suit their family needs.
“Initially, we weren’t sure whether to buy a ready-built house or to build from scratch. In 2015, we found our answer when we came across a good land sale deal in Melaka, in a beautifully green residential area,” said Diyana.
“We had a pretty good idea of what sort of living space would work for us, and what wouldn’t. Being practical, we decided to design a house that would suit the needs of our family.”
The couple began their project in 2020 but halted twice due to the MCO. They successfully completed the construction after 15 months in March 2021.
Now, the idyllic house sits on a 12,000 square feet private property with a million-dollar view!
For their ideal home, the two did not follow any design rulebook and decided to follow their hearts and change up a few things.
To begin with, their dream home was inspired by Spanish-styled houses. However, after looking at some of the bold and vibrant colours associated with those types of homes, they decided to tone it down a bit by incorporating American farmhouse features, which focus on comfort and spaciousness with a particular emphasis on functionality and practicality.
“First, we decided a farmhouse design would be a good mix into the Spanish theme. Inspired by wood elements and a light colour palette, which we love, we came up with our own interpretation of what a Spanish design combined with the characteristics of an American farmhouse would look like,” said Diyana.
Although the size of the house reminds us of American-style mansions, the couple ensured the iconic and appealing features in Spanish houses were a must-have in their home design.
“Both of us fell in love with the colour tones of al-Andalus, Moorish Spain, and Spanish Revival houses. The wrought iron doors, Spanish-styled staircases, arched entryways, and terracotta tiles are some of the features that we love.
“However, when we did more research, we eventually realised that the Spanish theme was a bit too vibrant, especially the colours, for the look of our house we had in our mind. We felt that we needed to ‘tone down’ the colours a bit.
“We tried to tie in everything together using white, black, and natural wood colours (both dark wood and rustic) throughout the house.”
Diyana designed the layout with an indoor/outdoor living room with a high ceiling, big windows for light and ventilation, a large dry kitchen adjacent to the dining room, a family/TV room, a study/office, pantry, laundry room, and a lanai, at the backyard.
“Once the layout was agreed upon, our contractor got an architect to draw it up professionally,” added Shaari.
The dream house
The couple’s arched entryway has a wrought iron with glass panels to create a ‘wow’ factor and this leads to the foyer, where a grand staircase welcomes guests into the warm and cosy abode.
The iron door and staircase are among the eye-catching features. The relatively low riser staircase has different patterns tiled on each stair riser, creating a classy and yet stellar look.
Diyana said: “The staircase, indoor-outdoor living room, and dry kitchen are the most visually unique parts of the house. Everyone loves the way our foldable aluminium glass door turns the living room into a room with a view.
“In fact, for our kitchen cabinets, despite looking like a wooden, the shaker-styled cabinet doors are actually made with aluminium.”
Above the staircase, a unique three-tiered chandelier hangs on the high ceiling, surrounded by windows on the upper part of the wall, which brings natural sunlight into the house.
Inside the charming house, the living room overlooks a beautiful green landscape with rows of green trees, planted in order and the manicured land brings a sense of harmony. Seen through the window, the serene scene looks just like a painting come to life.
“First, we decided a farmhouse design would be a good mix into the Spanish theme. Inspired by wood elements and a light colour palette, which we love, we came up with our own interpretation of what a Spanish design combined with the characteristics of an American farmhouse would look like,” said Diyana.
Although the size of the house reminds us of American-style mansions, the couple ensured the iconic and appealing features in Spanish houses were a must-have in their home design.
“We were lucky enough to have a stunning natural view situated to the rear of our property, where the living room and dry kitchen are located,” said Diyana.
“We feel like we have a huge painting, outside. Interestingly, the idea of using the structure of the house to frame the natural view had never been a conscious decision on our part, it just worked out perfectly.”
Some of the furniture picked by Diyana from Abu Dhabi adds value, while the classic chandeliers were custom-made in black to match with the decor.
Alcove shelves in the living room (inspired by Studio McGee), the entryway table and armchairs were custom-made.
“To be honest, we have not yet fully decorated the interior of the house. It is still a work-in-progress. We are taking the decorating process one step at a time, as we enjoy finding pieces of furniture and decor items that we like.”
Apart from functionality and practicality, they considered adaptability for their future needs and hassle-free maintenance, while aesthetics came secondary.
They created enough space to accommodate evolving ideas or to adapt to changes in the future. “We purposely positioned the master bedroom on the ground floor (to avoid walking up and down the stairs, when age catches up) while the doors are wide to fit a wheelchair through (if needed),” said Diyana.
“When we embarked on the construction of the house, we thought we would be able to regularly return to Malaysia to oversee the progress. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and we were not able to travel.”
Despite struggles and challenges such as having to check the construction status from Abu Dhabi through videos, pictures, in the end, it paid off. Now, they have an adorable house to call home in Malaysia!
Corrections
Correct Version
A Dream House
A Malaysian-American couple shared a dream of living in a Spanish-style home. Six years later, their dream came true.
Malaysian-born Diyana Ladue and her American husband Shaari Ladue are now living in a 5,000 square feet gorgeous Spanish farmhouse (more like a mansion!) in Melaka.
While Diyana, an in-house legal counsel, and Shaari, an English instructor, were working in Abu Dhabi. They always wanted to settle down in Malaysia. They began looking at what was available on the market, and what they envisioned to suit their family's needs.
"Initially, we weren’t sure whether to buy a ready-built house or to build from scratch. In 2015, we found our answer when we came across a good land sale deal in Melaka, in a beautifully green residential area," said Diyana.
"We had a pretty good idea of what sort of living space would work for us, and what wouldn’t. Being practical, we decided to design a house that would suit the needs of our family," added Diyana.
The couple began their project in 2020 but halted twice due to the Movement Control Order (MCO). They successfully completed the construction after 15 months in March 2021.
Now, the idyllic house sits on a 12,000 square feet private property with a million-dollar view!
For their ideal home, the two did not follow any design rulebook and decided to follow their hearts and change up a few things.
To begin with, their dream home was inspired by Spanish-styled houses. However, after looking at some of the bold and vibrant colours associated with those types of homes, they decided to tone it down a bit by incorporating American farmhouse features, which focus on comfort and spaciousness with a particular emphasis on functionality and practicality.
"First, we decided a farmhouse design would be a good mix into the Spanish theme. Inspired by wood elements and a light colour palette, which we love, we came up with our own interpretation of what a Spanish design combined with the characteristics of an American farmhouse would look like," said Diyana.
Although the size of the house reminds us of American-style mansions, the couple ensured the iconic and appealing features of Spanish houses were a must-have in their home design.
"Both of us fell in love with the colour tones of al-Andalus, Moorish Spain, and Spanish Revival houses. The wrought iron doors, Spanish-styled staircases, arched entryways, and terracotta tiles are some of the features that we love," said Diyana.
However, when they did more research, they eventually realised that the Spanish theme was a bit too vibrant, especially the colours, for the look of their house they had in their mind. They felt that they needed to ‘tone down’ the colours a bit.
"We tried to tie in everything together using white, black, and natural wood colours (both dark wood and rustic) throughout the house," added Diyana.
Diyana designed the layout with an indoor/outdoor living room with a high ceiling, big windows for light and ventilation, a large dry kitchen adjacent to the dining room, a family/TV room, a study/office, a pantry, a laundry room, and a lanai in the backyard.
"Once the layout was agreed upon, our contractor got an architect to draw it up professionally," added Shaari.
The dream house
The couple’s arched entryway has a wrought iron with glass panels to create a ‘wow’ factor and this leads to the foyer, where a grand staircase welcomes guests into the warm and cosy abode.
The iron door and staircase are among the eye-catching features. The relatively low riser staircase has different patterns tiled on each stair riser, creating a classy and yet stellar look.
"The staircase, indoor-outdoor living room, and dry kitchen are the most visually unique parts of the house. Everyone loves the way our foldable aluminum glass door turns the living room into a room with a view,"said Diyana.
"In fact, for our kitchen cabinets, despite looking like wooden cabinets, the shaker-styled cabinet doors are actually made with aluminum," said Diyana.
Above the staircase, a unique three-tiered chandelier hangs on the high ceiling, surrounded by windows on the upper part of the wall, which brings natural sunlight into the house.
Inside the charming house, the living room overlooks a beautiful green landscape with rows of green trees, planted in order and the manicured land brings a sense of harmony. Seen through the window, the serene scene looks just like a painting come to life.
"We were lucky enough to have a stunning natural view situated to the rear of our property, where the living room and dry kitchen are located," said Diyana.
"We feel like we have a huge painting outside. Interestingly, the idea of using the structure of the house to frame the natural view had never been a conscious decision on our part, it just worked out perfectly," added Diyana.
Some of the furniture picked by Diyana from Abu Dhabi adds value, while the classic chandeliers were custom-made in black to match the decor.
Alcove shelves in the living room (inspired by Studio McGee), the entryway table and armchairs were custom-made.
"To be honest, we have not yet fully decorated the interior of the house. It is still a work-in-progress. We are taking the decorating process one step at a time, as we enjoy finding pieces of furniture and decor items that we like," said Diyana.
Apart from functionality and practicality, they considered adaptability for their future needs and hassle-free maintenance, while aesthetics came second.
They created enough space to accommodate evolving ideas or to adapt to changes in the future.
"We purposely positioned the master bedroom on the ground floor (to avoid walking up and down the stairs, when age catches up) while the doors are wide enough to fit a wheelchair through (if needed)," said Diyana.
"When we embarked on the construction of the house, we thought we would be able to regularly return to Malaysia to oversee the progress. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we were not able to travel," added Diyana.
Despite struggles and challenges such as having to check the construction status from Abu Dhabi through videos, pictures, in the end, it paid off. Now, they have an adorable house to call home in Malaysia!
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