How This 48 Year Old Terrace House Stays Cool Without Aircon | Interior Design
You’ve seen terrace houses undergo dramatic transformations through interior design. Some add pools, others rethink their entire layouts, but this one takes it a step further. The garage is extended into the home, creating a space both bold and uniquely personal.
My name is Alex Lee, and I am from Nu Infinity. Designed around the client’s everyday routines and priorities, this terrace house proves that good design doesn’t need to be complicated. In this episode, we reveal how this terrace house was drastically transformed from this to this.
The entrance is a bold statement where the car itself is celebrated as the primary feature of the home. A membrane light proudly stages the vehicle, transforming the entire arrival experience.
“Hi, I’m Kamal, and my wife and I own this humble property,” explained the homeowner.
“Wow, this property is 48 years old. You know when we got it, it was not renovated, just fresh coats of paint given. You know, so it was interesting because we get to see how it was 48 years ago,” shared the homeowner.
The layout of the entrance was flipped, relocated to the opposite side. This was a practical move where one side looked into the neighbour’s home, the other offered greenery and a quieter, more scenic arrival.
“Yeah, so when the brief was to fit three cars inside a terrace house, you know, it was like a puzzle, you know. It was nearly an impossible puzzle, you know, from having two cars outside, one car inside, to two cars being stacked, one on top of the other, using a Bendpak system. You know, we ran through a plethora of ideas. Each configuration had its own drawbacks and had its own advantages, but in the end we ended up with something practical and was easy to the eye, seamless to the eye.”
When night falls, this personalized man cave truly comes alive. From the outside, a soft glow hints within, turning the house into a sight to behold. Beside it, a full setup of an actual racing simulator completes the space, designed around the owner’s passion and growing collection.
“When my wife and I moved in, very quickly we identified a theme for each floor. The ground floor was something that we called the space to create. It shows our hobbies, it shows where stuff is created, basically like food, coffee, and the first floor was basically space to breathe, so it’s designed for you to go up and unwind,” explained the houseowner.
“So the decision not to have a conventional living hall with TV and what not in the house was based on how we observed our guests from our past homes. We didn’t need a dedicated living hall to host. That’s how we ended up with an area at the back where the kitchen area, we could host, we can keep people entertained at the back, and at the same time we also can host people in the front. We also have a secondary dining loft area which is in the front. It’s breezy, it’s sort of tucked behind the ventilation blocks, it was also a very unconventional idea.”
The original kitchen was in an awkward position with two unsightly pillars. By altering the ego of practicality, Nu Infinity transformed it from this to this. The kitchen cabinetry is crafted primarily from solid Meranti wood, chosen for its durability and its warm character. When a designer truly understands a family’s lifestyle, bold design decisions become possible without unnecessary excess.
“I love cooking, so it was really nice for me to be able to work in a space that is open, easy, functional, and at the same time gives such a cozy vibe for everyone to come together and enjoy a meal.”
As the space is not fully enclosed in glass, you might expect it to feel hot without air conditioning, but the ventilation has been thoughtfully designed for comfort. With a perforated entry door, the house welcomes a cool breeze that flows all the way to the kitchen windows at the back.
“Me and my daughter, we’re particularly sensitive to aircon, you know, rapid change in temperature. And I grew up with no aircon and sort of got used to that, and so one of the top things was good cross ventilation, cause we if possible, maybe apart from hosting guests, we normally don’t use any aircon.”
“Wherever we had a glass opening, wherever we had a glass aperture, the glass was stacked next to the other with an air gap that allows the flow to go through. Wherever possible, we’ve tried to go with a cooler option. The heat coming in from above is pushed towards the windows by strategically placed fans.”
The perforated kitchen windows at the back are designed with a fin effect to serve two purposes. They funnel incoming breeze into the home and shield the interior from rain. For heavy rain, automated blinds provide more coverage by closing it automatically.
“With all the perforated panels that we had, the idea was to do away with the hood. It sort of made the cabinetries flow very well, it was easy on the eyes. So what we ended up doing was having like an air gap between the wood with a steel plate which dissipated the heat, and we cook almost every day and surprisingly there’s no oil residue, there’s no smell, very good cross ventilation,” said the homeowner.
The rear of the house faces neighbouring houses, so climbing plants were added, creating a scenic view, purifying passing breezes while enhancing privacy. The ground flooring features larger tiles, giving the space a more expansive feel and reducing grout lines, so it feels less like a typical terrace house. In the kitchen, smaller intricate tiles provide a safer slip resistant surface. In the cozy dining nook, the bench is multi functional, offering hidden storage beneath.
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The powder room is cleverly designed with dual entry so guests don’t need to walk around the guest room to access the basin. The original staircase is retained, leading upstairs to a warm and cozy family room.
“We kept the staircase, that’s why I always tell people that the staircase rail shows the age of the house. We didn’t varnish the rail, we didn’t do anything, you can still see all the cracks, we kept that on purpose.”
“And then on the first floor, I know many people try to introduce more rooms, but we went in another direction, you know, we reduced rooms. Since we called it space to breathe, the actual living hall is actually upstairs, it’s on the first floor, and that’s where even the lighting is dimmer, it’s quieter, you get to unwind.”
The master suite reveals a bold departure from the traditional layout. Here an open bathtub sits directly beneath a skylight, it’s a space designed for pause where the sky becomes your ceiling. A single treetop reaches from the living spaces below, it’s these layers of light and nature that makes this space feel unique.
This home is defined by a series of shared views. Everything is interconnected, centering around a singular focal point. As the centerpiece of the master bedroom, the master bathtub transforms from every viewpoint, bed, shower, to the family hall.
The master bathroom sits in a darker corner, so it’s furnished with white to create a bright pleasing space.
Designed for adaptability, the study next to the family hall features generous storage and a sliding table. A planter box sits before the window, framing its own slice of scenery.
“So when we came up with the design brief, you know, we had our own idea of how a planter box should be. You know as in, a planter box is still within the confines of the house but towards the extremities, you know, but the surprise in the design was we managed to incorporate planter box and tree elements within the central spaces of the house,” the homeowner said.
A small spiral staircase guides you to the rooftop where the Kuala Lumpur City skyline provides the perfect view for this family home.
“There is one spot that surprised me, it was the rooftop. I did not anticipate the view that we’ll get this, that caught me off guard, and I’m so glad we went with that design, cause now when we do go up the view that greets us often takes our breath away,” said the homeowner.
“In the end, we managed to get everything that looked in paper translated physically, which is something that I think, you know, not only us but I think the design team should be very proud of as well.
If I were to put it in one word, I think it’s togetherness somehow. We’ve put a home together where everyone has their space, at the same time everyone gets to convene together.”
Every aspect of this home was never about excess, it was about intention. It’s not about having more space but about creating a home that fits your lifestyle and passions perfectly.
If you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to check out this stunning luxury tropical villa that opens to its own river and nature.
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