IF you are looking for design inspiration to transform your house, we have the right person for you. Meet Rina Rahamat, 43, a graduate from UTM and a housewife, who designed her own house stage-by-stage with her husband Mohd Subha, and the result of their creative ideas will surprise you.
The house has a warm and cosy feel, and is decorated with a mixture of modern and vintage style pieces.
Rina, who has three young children, had a clear vision as to how she wanted to decorate the house for her family of five.
“I am always into beautiful things and I love to see beautiful houses,” she said.
The former teacher picked a theme, which she described as “organic modern mix vintage” for the house in Skudai, Johor, which she and her family moved into in August 2020.
Every room in the house is beautiful, with warm tones.
The elegant living room welcomes guests with a light coloured three-seat sofa and two armchairs with natural linen cushions and green plants, contrasted with the greyish white walls, while woven ottomans and a wood coffee table on the wooden floor warm up the space.
She picked a more earthy and natural colour scheme for the house and good quality paint for the walls.
“I like earthy tones, wood and nature-based colours. White painted walls give a spacious feel and a bit of black is added just to give some contrast, and is accented with a pop of green with the green plants,” she said.
Next is the dining room. Step up to an elevated wood floor for the dining space, where a vintage style dining table with a steel pendant lighting, which resembles pendant lights found in farmhouses in the US, hangs above.
The furniture adds character to a serene but stylish house.
To fit into the colour scheme, the furniture and decorative items were selected in the same colours to match the entire look and warm feel of the house.
She opted for nature-based furniture, rattan and wooden furniture and woven pieces to complement the entire look.
“I had a plan in my mind as to what kind of furniture I wanted and I chose the furniture based on my idea,” she said. She chose a vintage-inspired rug and lighting fixtures, which is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Similarly, the vintage elements added to the style she was going for.
Sharing a tip, Rina said that she had measured the space for everything before she purchased anything as she wanted her choice of furniture to fit perfectly into the space.
“I ordered custom-made furniture from Indonesia while other furniture pieces were ordered online from China. The rest of the furniture came from local furniture and some came from IKEA,” said Rina.
The price of this furniture and decorations varied from high to low. For Rina, her idea of interior design meant that it was important to have pieces fit into her idea and be comfortable, rather than choosing branded pieces only.
Rina’s favourite place in the house is her so-called butler pantry. Once a fixture in mainly western countries, having a kitchen pantry is now a growing trend in Malaysia.
Rina said: “Having a pantry in the kitchen makes your kitchen look clean and guest-ready.”
She has always dreamt of having an American-style kitchen with an island and a walk in pantry. So, she extended the kitchen space all the way into the backyard.
The biggest challenge for Rina, however, was staying within the limited budget she had. In the end, the outcome is undeniably gorgeous!
