By Willy Wilson | Aug 12, 2010
Traditional Nyonya courtyard concept, modernised for city living
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| Humble: Roland Lee and his wife, Lin Lee in
their living room |
A ramble around a prestigious gated community in a Petaling Jaya
district and its environment is reminiscent of Wisteria Lane of Desperate
Housewives fame. With rows of mansions, manicured gardens and
extra-wide streets, one can almost expect to bump into well-heeled
ladies in their summer dresses walking their dogs.
But an afternoon tête-à-tête with Roland Lee and his wife Lin Lee
snaps us back to reality. Modest, accessible and warm, the couple admits
that their residence mirrors their personalities. The couple’s 10,000sq
ft residence sees a Nyonya house (Siheyuan) layout, which is an open
concept featuring an internal courtyard in the centre. Such arrangement
allows natural light as well as good air ventilation to reach every
corner of the house.
A Buddha statue is placed in the centre of the courtyard. A devout
Tibetan Buddhist, the couple confesses that religion places utmost
importance in the way they live their life.
“Incorporating a spiritual aesthetic into the interior works of the
house is what makes a house livable,” says the couple. This explains a
5ft Lama Songkapa statue, which sits majestically on a grand altar
located in the left wing of the house.
Unlike their glitzy neighbours, the concept of quality living for the
couple seems to have skewed towards having a house that shows their
religious devotion. The couple further explains that it isn’t luxurious
commodities such as Italian marble tiles or rare Iranian rugs that can
bring comfort to a house.
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| Contemporary: A blend of Buddhist aesthetic
with contemporary setting in the living room |
StarProperty.my chatted with Mr and Mrs Lee about incorporating
Buddhist art into a contemporary house.
Tell us about this house. How big is it and what are the main
rooms here?
Lin Lee (LL): We don’t exactly know the built-up size,
but we can tell you that this house sits on a 10,000sq ft land. It is a
two-storey, five-bedroom house which was built in 1997. There is an
internal courtyard in the centre of the house.
Roland Lee (RL): Once inside the house, guests are
greeted by a spacious foyer, which leads directly to the courtyard. The
foyer’s left side consists of a living and dining area, which are both
connected to the kitchen. The kitchen, on the other hand, is located
behind the courtyard (in the opposite direction of the foyer).
The right side consists of a flight of stairs that lead to the second
floor. Next to the stairs is a corner that we dedicate to the Buddha.
We built an altar there. Meanwhile, the second floor only consists of
bedrooms and a study.
Certainly there is a strong presence of Buddhist influence in
terms of interior. But what is the concept of the house?
RL: The concept is a basic 'vision' of repose and calm,
with lots of airiness and natural sunlight. In terms of architecture,
perhaps the strongest influence is a traditional Nyonya courtyard house,
in which the spaces are arranged around an inner courtyard.
A traditional Nyonya courtyard-type of house is almost
unheard of in modern architecture! Why did you decide to go with this
style?
LL: The original plan was to have a swimming pool right
where the courtyard is. But a Feng Shui guru advised me that having a
water element in this house wouldn’t be good for me. The next obvious
option was to build a courtyard.
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| Buddhist art: Paintings,
sculptures and art pieces are hung on the walls |
RL: The good news is that courtyard house has a
tendency to be inward looking, which means that most activities are done
within the house. As such, maximum privacy and security of the
homeowners are guaranteed. See, we are the kind of family who spends a
lot of time at home, so a courtyard house is definitely suitable for us.
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| Spiritual: The central courtyard features an
elevated Buddha |
How does this house reflect you?
LL: The house reflects our heritage, and more
importantly our faith. We consider spiritual harmony within the interior
works of the house. As you can see, there is a strong influence of
Buddhist art – paintings, sculptures, and art pieces are hung on the
walls. And of course there’s the altar.
RL: A life-size statue of Lama Songkapa on the altar
may seem a bit much. Surely with the level of intricacy put into the
work of this statue, it is a quality art piece. But for us, this statue
isn’t just a piece of art that compliments our house, but also a symbol
of our devotion.
Buddhist art pieces normally come in a riot of bold colours,
which are prone to the somewhat garish stereotype. But, your living room
manages to blend Buddhist aesthetic with contemporary setting
effortlessly. Any tips?
RL: I think the key is to work with the best colours
that could frame both contemporary and Buddhist art for the walls. In
our living room, the walls are grey, which provides a sophisticated
ambience.
LL: We also use antique furniture to play down on
the colour contrast. Antique furniture, which we inherit from our
grandparents, are in dark wooden colours. The sentiment that these
furniture bring to the house somehow gels with the Buddhist art pieces.
See other beautiful homes:
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