Inside a 56-Year-Old Terrace House With Two Hidden Courtyards |Terrace Transformation|ModernTropical

On today's episode on Design Seed, we are stepping into a 56 euro terrace house that was completely transformed from this to this. Over 555 days by a designer couple who refused to settle for a typical terrace house. This is a thoughtful transformation of one of Malaysia's most common terrace house types into a home that can finally breathe. My name is Alex Lee and I am from Design Seeds. Before we begin, a friendly reminder if you're not click on the subscribe button yet, do it now and stay in the loop for more upcoming design and architecture related contents. From the street, summer house gives almost nothing away. The red facade and heritage grill door give the home a quiet nostalgia that feels reimagined for today. Hi, I'm Zee Wai. And I'm Vanessa and we are both founders of YA Design Office. The name of the project is Summer House. It means that together in Malay. So why we rename it Summer House? Because we designed it together. The biggest challenge that we face in renovating this house is probably the structure. Because we were thinking to refurbish the house partially because we are doing one and a half floor. But after we removed the rear part, we noticed that there actually no ground beam under the building. By that time, we decided to demolish the entire house and rebuild again. I think that's the challenging part because that's what we unforeseen. Regarding the facade, probably we want to have something that is more quiet and underrated which people will not easily notice. So that's why we try to minimal the opening towards the main road. Hence, it creates the privacy to the building as well. So we actually reuse the existing roof tiles on the facade. And then morning, it is a bit subtle. It's not so loud. Instead of like using aluminium strip or like glass, new material. So we try to keep the existing roof tiles and reuse it. The choice of grill door is actually, we wanted to create kind of like armor house feeling. The house doesn't lead into a living room. Instead, you are greeted by a lush landscape in a courtyard that is open to sky. The entry experience is layered, creating more surprises at every turn. With this courtyard, one of the most common house types in Malaysia is transformed into something else entirely. At first, we knew that we want a courtyard because we like the ventilation opening. We wanted to create an art piece at the center of the house. This is why the courtyard is located here instead of any other places. Another challenge will be because many people ask us about the maintenance of the plants. So I think the choice of plant that you choose is very important. I wouldn't say that the maintenance of this courtyard is very heavy because we're trying to plant in a bigger leaf so that it's easier to clean. Because I believe that a lot of people think that a courtyard in the house is very hard to maintain. And then a lot of mosquitoes. But I think all this can be overcome with some method. Just like how we avoid the mosquitoes. Basically, it's very easy. We use mist, water mist in the morning and evening. To create a barrier so the mosquitoes won't come in. The first reaction is usually, why do you have such a big courtyard in the house? It's a waste of space. Maybe after some time when they sit down in the house, after one hour, they'll start feeling, oh, actually this courtyard really brings a very different kind of feeling. Facing the courtyard is a minimalist yet cozy living space. With the folding windows fully open, the living room flows outward to nature. This makes everyday moments feel a little slower, calmer and more meaningful. The interior design style, I think, is more of the modern tropical interior. And we don't really use a lot of fancy material, I would say. Yeah, this is all very practical and traditional material that we use. Like the terrazzo flooring, that it took us some time to find somebody who actually still does it. When people come into a house, they actually think that it lets people feel that it's very traditional. But somehow, we live in a modern lifestyle. So that's why we would say that it's a modern tropical style. The design of the living room is probably the same with a lot of people's mindsets. They want a higher ceiling, a bright living room with a lot of glass. So this is why we have a higher ceiling in the living room. And then also we incorporated a few skylights in the living area to allow it to naturally turn. Because from the front, we don't get a lot of sunlight. And also this bench is connected to the courtyard. So when we fully open this window or when we don't open it, this bench is a storage and also can sit up to 10 people easily. Set along the side of the house is an antique Chinese door like a carefully curated artwork. It is a reminder of the heritage that shapes the home. In our daily work, we actually accompany our clients to search for new furniture. But for me, I actually really like to give the secondhand furniture a second life where people normally don't appreciate. And they will think why I should use an old furniture for my own house. So this is why I always like to collect all this antique and then so that I can use it in my own house. Yeah, I think it gives a different character to the house as well. Yeah, because we built this new, but the old furniture enhanced the whole feeling of the interior. Somehow, I think it makes the house look warmer. Opposite the courtyard sits an open dry kitchen and dining area, the social anchor of the home. It's a modern counterpoint to the heritage elements elsewhere in the house. The dining is actually social-centered. So that's why in that area, we purposely lower down the ceiling height. It's about nine and a half feet. So people will not focus on the other details, but more focus on the communication between the people. It's also placed very closely to the dry and wet kitchen because when we have gatherings, that is where everyone will gather. And then we have this small separation between the living and the dining. So if another gang wants to have conversation, they can have their conversation in the living area. It's not disturbing each other. Yeah, different parties. A functional wet kitchen is tucked away at the rear of the home, separated by a sliding door. At the rear, the house opens into a second courtyard, fully exposed to the sky and directly connected to the master bedroom. Extending light and air into the most private parts of the home. The second courtyard is mainly for the ventilation and lighting purpose because in this area, there's actually no back land. So the only way for us to have privacy is to create a second courtyard where all the windows will be facing inwards instead of facing outward. Yeah, so this is why we have this second courtyard. So the gym room is actually, it's just a temporary gym room for now. But why we have that room over there is if you notice in the kitchen, there is actually a window that can look into the room. The purpose of doing that is like in future when we have the baby. Or parents. They will rest in the room. So at least when we are cooking, we are able to monitor what is happening in the room. So it's actually a future parent's or baby room. Most people design a staircase on its own. But this was designed by integrating the TV console instead. Slanting it so it also forms the first step. The staircase introduces a unique layering of materials, wooden steps resting on concrete. And these wooden steps were all recycled from the previous staircase. At the landing, a red tile surface paired with a framed window creates an unexpected visual moment with texture, light and color. Before we continue, if you ever wanted to experience one of the biggest design events in the world, this one's for you. Design Seed is invited back to Guangzhou Design Week, happening December 4th to 8th, 2026. But this year, we're doing something different. Together with our sponsor OZA, we're supporting the G5 Design Global Awards, an international competition, bringing together leading design professionals from China, Singapore, Australia, Spain and Italy, celebrating the best in spatial design. And this year, we invite you to join us. I personally will be hosting an exclusive VIP tour before the doors open to the public. Experience Guangzhou Design Week up close with me as we check out the latest innovations in design. Your VIP ticket also keeps you ahead of the crowds with priority access throughout the entire event. Don't miss out. Early bird tickets are available now from the link in the description below. Now let's get back to the house. Upstairs, the first floor splits into two rooms, the master bedroom and a guest room. Step into the master bedroom and the first thing that greets you is a vent block in a courtyard, functioning as both a privacy screen and a soft filter for light, setting a calm tone. So the layout for the master bedroom is actually divided, separated into left and right wings. Why are we doing that? It's because we always wanted a bigger and open bathroom. When we come with a bigger door, the door lift is bigger as well. So that is why we have the double door idea. After we go in, the first impression that we will see is the second courtyard. Then on the left will be the master bedroom and on the right will be the master bathroom. Yeah, because we don't have a door for the master bathroom, so the courtyard separates the sleeping area and the master bathroom area. Shades of red return here, carrying the home's material language. The master bathroom separates toilet and shower with a generous Japanese-inspired bath taking center stage. Textured wall finishes lend the space a tactile spa-like calm. For the master bathroom, I always want it to be like a resort feeling. And then during one time when we traveled, we had the chance to use like an onsen bathtub. Yeah, that is made with concrete and tiles. After the trip, we were like, why not we make our own customized bathtub that we can decide what the size and height it will be that can easily fit us and the dogs if they want to play in the bathtub here. My dream is always to have an outdoor shower, but in this house, we can't have an outdoor shower. So that's why we try to make the bathroom as open as possible. That is why there is no door because I want to extend the bathroom to everywhere that I can visually see. So also another thing is like between the bedroom and the bathroom, we actually have the window to view towards each of the sides. The guest room is kept intentionally minimalist, staging space and light as focus. Framed by a window overlooking the main courtyard, the room extends to the treetops where nature becomes part of the bedroom. The rooftop is generously scaled and built for everyday use, but its position was no accident. The design of the balcony is actually wanted to create privacy for the house, for the room. And then the second is actually the extension of the bedroom. As you can see that the second bedroom can only view to the balcony. So that's why we wanted the people who live in the bedroom actually they will not feel that it's too constrained. So I somehow think that we need to have natural landscape in our lifestyle because it will help to de-stress. Imagine that when you are coming back home for a long day and then what you see is all the rain sound, all the landscape, the natural sound. Yeah, we have birds here. In the courtyard and then chipping sound. Yeah, so all this I think it helps to de-stress. A house with no original structure left standing. A courtyard everyone questions then falls in love with. A facade designed to say almost nothing and an interior that says everything. Slowly, room by room. In the end, summer house was never just about rebuilding a terrace house. It's a reminder that good design isn't about how much you add. It's about what you're willing to make room for. If you enjoyed this episode and you want to learn more about interior design and architecture related contents, please click on the subscribe button to stay tuned for more compelling design episodes. Don't forget to join our Design Seed membership program for five US dollars and get exclusive handbooks and contents. My name is Alex Lee and I am from Design Seeds. Thank you for watching and I'll see you guys next week.